Daniel Holt may be best known as the head of Ardetha Records, but he also has an impressive resume of his own experimental synth and ambient projects, such as synth-duo Vault, and a mind-melting techno 12″ for L.I.E.S. Records and Frigio records under his own name.
Human Figures takes a u-turn onto a more personal avenue of expression for Holt. With his new eight-track LP, Footsteps, the music is liminal, sparse, and misty, as each note invokes a warm hypnagogic atmosphere, tinged with fluttering anxiety. The mournful Lifted Burden, with its cowbells and echoing vocals swaddled in warm strings, sets the tone. Haunting notes are supported by a staccato beat as Holt’s melancholic vocals sail in 40 Days, before launching into the raw brilliance of An Open Heart. Raw post-punk, synth romance, and cold reductions pepper the stirring album.
Co-released by Frigio and BFE records, Footsteps is available in a vinyl edition limited to 300 copies.
You can purchase them here.
Stream Footsteps below: