Holyld is an alias of French musician and producer Clément Paulmier, ex-member of emo darkwavers The Creepy Moon and indie-trap outfit Core Wave. I've been a fan of The Creepy Moon back in 2014, but lost them from my radar a good while ago, after they rebranded to Core Wave. Today I stumbled across this new LP from Clément (his third long-play as Holyld apparently), and what a pleasant surprise it is. "Soulthorns" sits at the intersection of ambient, bass music and techno, all mashed together to form a hypnotising, slow-burning record that should be ideally experienced at dusk. Murky atmospheres and 2-step beats bring to mind Burial's work (i.e. on "Arcanes / White Ember"), but Holyld manages to claim his own space, much darker and located in folky meadows rather than urban outskirts. Don't sleep on this one.
"Soulthorns" can be now purchased here, and you and stream it in full below.