{"product_id":"outerstate","title":"Outerstate","description":"\u003cp\u003eGondwana’s newest stars are West London’s \u003cstrong\u003eKessoncoda\u003c\/strong\u003e, aka drummer Tom Sunney and keyboardist Fil Sowa. Standing firm between acoustic tradition and electronica, they are founded on a unique blend of melodic ostinato-laced piano and unwavering drums.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDrawing on their array of musical interests, Fil and Tom take influence from rock, electronica, ambient, breakbeat, and soundtracks for film and artists such as Squarepusher, Radiohead, and Clark, all hot-housed in their unique studio set-up, a shed at the bottom of Tom’s garden.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eLike former and present Gondwana Records label mates such as GoGo Penguin and Portico Quartet, there’s something strongly cinematic about \u003cem\u003eKessoncoda’s\u003c\/em\u003e music, like a narrative arc which unfolds through different themes and moods, with an ebb-and-flow of intensity, as breath-taking swells of melody burst into being, eventually to resolve in a wondrous climax.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThere’s also a deliberate undercurrent of post Covid unease which is encapsulated in the title \u003cem\u003eOuterstate\u003c\/em\u003e. “this feeling of being within a group of friends, and you're chatting, and you’re physically there but mentally you're not at all – you're somewhere else, a really weird state of being.” The murmured lyrics on “Talk To Me I’m Sleeping” are Tom’s poem about this dislocation, and it’s voiced by their friend\/photographer Siân O’Connor.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eElsewhere, there’s a fabulous moment on “Dreambend,” when further collaborators pop up – Gondwana label-mate saxophonist Jasmine Myra, violinist Krystyna Pęzínska and on cello Fil’s music teacher from school, Andreas Manoras.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOuterstate\u003c\/em\u003e is also subtly textured with synths and tech-noize, reflecting their interest in electronica (think Warp Records, Erased Tapes) – “the warm, warbly side of synths right through to the really shrill Squarepusher sound.”\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt’s the perfect union of complementary personalities that gives \u003cstrong\u003eKessoncoda\u003c\/strong\u003e their unique drive, of headlong sticksman Tom with his extraordinary offbeat pummel, together with thoughtful keysman Fil, with his ostinato melodiousness.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe title \u003cem\u003eOuterstate\u003c\/em\u003e also reflects their location on the metropolitan outskirts of West London, and equally their existence at a distinct remove from any scene, as they dreamt up their soundworld in hermetic isolation. Now, though, they’re ready to go public and something tells us that \u003cem\u003eOuterstate\u003c\/em\u003e is just the beginning of something.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFrom Tom’s shed to the world, \u003cstrong\u003eKessoncoda\u003c\/strong\u003e are ready to go global!\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Gondwana Records","offers":[{"title":"Black LP.","offer_id":50442968695115,"sku":"2200744","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Black LP","offer_id":50442968334667,"sku":"2200743","price":27.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"CD","offer_id":50442968039755,"sku":"2200742","price":14.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0867\/1120\/6219\/files\/GOND071_Artwork_13fad7b8_thumbnail_4096.jpg?v=1727006697","url":"https:\/\/shop.roughtrade.com\/products\/outerstate","provider":"Rough Trade","version":"1.0","type":"link"}