Adventurous found sound explorers
Who They?
London three-piece Bob Tollast, Olly Puglisi and Tom Fisher, who blend field recordings and electronics with leftfield pop and post-rock.
Why Ilk?
When Puglisi’s project of collecting found sounds and fascinating audio artefacts with housemate Fisher coalesced into something solid, they brought in uni pal Tollast and merged their ideas into a new musical mutant. Ilk’s tangential songs zigzag between Congotronic thumb pianos, guitars and detailed layers of sonic fragments, including ice melting, planes landing and underwater beetles.
“Tom and I both have an affinity for the outdoors,” says Puglisi of the band’s field recordings. “Being out and about exploring, we’d record our surroundings, hunting for sounds.”
This mix caught the ear of sound sculptor Matthew Herbert who produced their debut album ‘Y U’ and put it out on his Accidental label.
“It was really special,” says Fisher. “He was able to give great guidance and made production suggestions that helped push the record to the next level.”
Tell Us More
Tollast’s lyrics are brilliantly odd and cover everything from volcano explorers to Middle Eastern epics.
“They are inspired by Stephen Malkmus, whose lyrics have always had a big impact on me, the way they are often disjointed and surreal but seem to really fit the mood of the song,” says Tollast. Ilk’s skill is their convergence of skewed pop with experimental ideas. On the surface, their songs are accessible, but beneath they percolate with abstract energy
‘Y U’ is out on Accidental
