The Willful Deaf – “Spirit of Youth”

Folk, psychedelic rock, electronica, and dub don’t naturally belong together, but “Spirit of Youth” pulls it off without feeling like a genre exercise. Mathew John Watts recorded this across Seville, Antwerp, and Dublin, and the song keeps moving in a way that makes sense given that.

The detail I keep returning to is Nicolas Sokolic’s banjo and mandolin playing. He’s Argentinian, which already puts an unexpected spin on things, and his contribution sits inside a track with electronica and dub elements without sounding out of place. That’s harder to pull off than it looks on paper, and he manages it.

Two mixes exist: the main one from Off Trail Studios in Los Angeles, and an alternative mix by Grammy Award-winning Irish producer Ruadri Cushnan, with mastering at Jam Studios in Ireland. The production is attentive without being overworked, and the song has room to breathe.

Fans of the Warp Records, Ninja Tune, and Bella Union catalogues will find this worth their time. It doesn’t borrow directly from any of those sounds, but it shares a similar disinterest in fitting neatly into a box. I find this one of the more genuinely surprising debut singles in a while. Dig into whatever else Watts has put out, and follow The Willful Deaf on Instagram to keep up with what’s coming.