Sandcandles by Sebastian Field

‘Sandcandles’ is a paradigm shift away from Field’s 2019 debut, Picture Stone, resulting from a time of uncertainty paired with a contemplative and questioning perspective. This LP abandons Field’s hallmark of a more traditional songwriting, and trades it in for textural, electronic landscapes populated by immersive fogs of ambience, skittering flourishes of plastic percussion and avant-garde vocal production, akin to Intelligent Dance Music of the early 1990s.

With the Coronavirus pandemic halting both the competitive and performative aspects of the music industry through 2020, Field found fertile ground on which to nourish himself creatively. Granted time to focus on the LP, Field was able to complete ‘Sandcandles’, a body of work comprised largely of material from 15 to 20 years ago - a version of himself he had forgotten about. “I’ve struggled with issues regarding self-consciousness for longer than I care to comment on," states Field, “to the extent that I’d buried this part of my creative self." Sandcandles reignites Field’s love of sound design, and manifests an entirely unique offering, seeing Field enjoying himself anew.

Special note from Field: 'The purpose of this album is to honour my younger creative self. It's very different to my first album, but I'm ok with that. I am cognisant though that it may be odd for you. Fingers crossed you don't mind this left turn. Otherwise, I'm really not sure what might follow this all, fyi. It's a big old question mark.'