Singularity 12: Wild Peacock

Sometimes, when you hear something enough times you can begin to believe it’s true, even when there’s plenty of evidence to the contrary. In the age of smart tech, social networks and short form content, we’re constantly told that our attention spans can no longer focus on anything longer than a nano-second. 

We have been working over the last few years to dispel this common myth with our epic Singularity Series; a collection of long form pieces from some of the most exciting names in global underground music. 

The project was born in the wake of the pandemic when we teamed up with The Quietus Editor, John Doran. 

John says of the project: “I know that I still feel the same way about long, meditative pieces of music as I have done for over three decades now and assume that many others feel the same way. We wanted to create that feeling when you’ve been on a night out and leave the pub or the club and go back to someone’s house, and you’re waiting for them to pull out their weirdest records, like some mad cosmic disco 12” or some really obscure track that takes up a whole side of vinyl.” 

The result was 11 staggering pieces of music from the likes of Vanishing Twin, Hey Colossus, Sly and The Family Drone, Pet Brick and many more names from the UK’s fertile underground. 

Each track, lasting roughly 15 minutes, was given a special 12” vinyl release as part of our 51 Editions series; 50 hand finished, lathe cut 12" records, in packaging designed and made in the state51 Atelier. The 51st edition of each release was assembled in even more sumptuous packaging! 

The final singularity release, Sex Swing’s Wild Peacock, now takes its place in the world. Wild Peacock captures Sex Swing at their most raw and expansive. Recorded live with just three microphones during a writing retreat, this 18-minute improvisation trades brute force for brooding psychedelia, a slow-building storm of motorik bass, haunted vocals, and saxophone squall. It’s a rare look behind the curtain, revealing the band’s instinctive process in real time. 

“I love being able to really listen to what we’re playing, and having a genuine response to it as we play – the ideas come out as you have them…It’s taking a song structure and really expanding it, taking things to extremes, waiting, bringing things in, and being patient.” 

Sex Swing channels a heavy psych supergroup, fusing repetition, chaos, and volatile energy. While Wild Peacock stands apart from their other recordings, it offers a glimpse into the alchemy that defines their sound.