Sparky Deathcap has released his folk infused single ‘Winter City Ghosts’. Listen HERE / watch the video HERE. Today also marks the announcement of the re-release of his EP ‘Tear Jerky’. The newly-mixed EP will be available on vinyl for the first time Pre order HERE.
‘Winter City Ghosts’ evokes a campfire-like feel with its steady rhythms, acoustic guitars and off-kilter, yet harmonious vocal layers. The track’s artwork and accompanying music video are also both created entirely by Sparky Deathcap, illustrating his creative flair and a visual look into the world of his upcoming EP.
R N Taylor (Sparky Deathcap) is the first to admit he’s an unlikely candidate for viral stardom. Operating proudly outside of the mainstream, for the past decade the Newcastle-born multi-instrumentalist has put his solo work as Sparky Deathcap on hold, balancing a thriving career in illustration with playing in adored indie-rock collective Los Campesinos!. And yet, almost 15 years on from the original release of ‘Tear Jerky’, Taylor’s alt-folk solo project is now getting a much-deserved reappraisal, entrancing a whole new generation of listeners.
The beginning of 2023 provided him with that opportunity, noticing that his single ‘September’ – a track he had uploaded to Bandcamp 10 years ago had suddenly gone viral. To date, it has amassed a massive 8 billion TikTok views (averaging 30.6 million views per day) as well as 43 million worldwide streams.
Taylor feels far prouder of ‘Tear Jerky’ today than he did upon its original release. “For a long time I worried that people would think it was kind of amateurish, but I’ve come to realise it’s actually pretty good,” he explains with trademark self-deprecation. Revisiting the EP has also provided Taylor with the opportunity to further expand the visual world around the project, from redesigning the artwork and animating a lyric video for ‘September’ to creating a beautiful phenakistoscope picture disc for the vinyl edition. Yet, the reissue of Tear Jerky is less an ending, than the beginning of an exciting new chapter for Sparky Deathcap.
Sparky Deathcap’s future looks bright looking ahead to 2024 and beyond. His new single ‘Winter City Ghosts’ is out now!
Tracklist
- Glasgow Is A Punk Rock Town
- Winter City Ghosts
- September
- Berlin Syndrome
- Send it To Oslo