Hard Return Records includes a track from the Chattanooga noise rock project Slow Blink in its compilation album released today.
The UK-based label Hard Return compiled the immense 66-song release, totaling 8 hours of listening time. Hard Return is a record label known for its dedication to releasing “extremely repetitive/persistent music.”
The project began when the record company issued an open call for submissions, seeking “the most repetitive thing you’ve ever done.”
Hard Return selected the Slow Blink track for the compilation, titled “Gap Between Grass and Sky,” a song featuring a single piano loop enhanced with effects from a children’s toy. The album notes explain that the track name references a phase in childhood development where a gap between the sky and the ground is left when drawing a landscape.
The Hard Return Compilation is available via Bandcamp where buyers can choose their own purchase price. All proceeds from sales will be donated to Doctors Without Borders.
Previously, Slow Blink released an album titled The Place through the Hard Return record label in 2022.
Listen to the track from the compilation album below, via Bandcamp.
Amanda Haswell’s Slow Blink showcases unconventional music talent
Slow Blink is the music project of Chattanooga artist Amanda Haswell. Haswell skillfully blends conventional instruments with unusual and experimental sounds using various loops. She brilliantly creates immersive soundscapes that are simultaneously vast and intimate.
If you’re unfamiliar with the genre of noise rock, it might be challenging to recognize Haswell’s talent and the quality of Slow Blink. In short, Haswell possesses extraordinary musical abilities, and Slow Blink is a truly impressive project.
Positive reviews of her work can be found on the Noise Not Music blog, a popular spot for news and reviews for the genre.
Listen to her interview on the Women of Noise Podcast on Soundcloud.
Haswell’s latest release, Vanishing Point, is an intense one-track record lasting over 28 minutes. Like her previous work, it’s ethereal and expansive, incorporating piano and guitar textures.
Listen to Vanishing Point below, via Bandcamp.
She has also produced music under the name Last Frost, releasing the fantastic lofi album Friends and Enemies in 2020.
Slow Blink frequently performs around the city and has been featured at Chattanooga Noise Night. Currently she has shows scheduled at Redbud, Yellow Racket Records and Stove Works.
