Creatures of an Hour

Creatures of an Hour, the debut full-length by London’s Still Corners glows with the delicate vocals of singer Tessa Murray and the atmospheric, cinematic influences of songwriter Greg Hughes. A devoted cinephile, Hughes sees film as a major influence in the band, from the projections (created by band member Leon Dufficy) that feature heavily in their live performances, to the free-floating grace of the new album.

Recorded at his own studio in Greenwich, Creatures of an Hour fuses whispered intimacy to the emotional expansiveness of composer Ennio Morricone. Hughes has crafted an album of deceptively simple songs that linger like half-remembered dreams. Lead single Cuckoo shines in its simplicity, a single drumbeat, ghostly guitar, and distant organ highlighting Murray’s haunting soprano as she asks, “I’d like to read your mind/can you read mine?” Hughes explains, “It’s about being confused. Am I going crazy? Does this person like me? What’s happening? That’s the vibe of the whole record really.”

For now, Hughes is happy to maintain Still Corners’ musical mystery. “I don’t like to talk too much on decoding the songs. It takes the mystery away,” he says. Reviewers like Gorilla vs. Bear, Pitchfork and Drowned in Sound, however, have proven more than happy to sing the praises of Still Corners’ pop beauty. So grab some popcorn and stick around—for Still Corners this is just act one.