Video: Stories - Refs

It has been over a years since I last featured Refs on BlackPlastic. Back then it was for the lovely track Fool, but they are back to close out 2018 with new one Stories.

The new track builds on the established Refs sound - soulful, bruised vocals combine with stark rhythms and beautiful melodies to create something that feels emotional and human but mechanical and futuristic.

Paired with a video that gives us the first proper glimpse of the artists themselves, Stories sounds like the pair gearing up for a big 2019. The emotional honesty and musical sophistication on display here are a lovely combination. Stories sounds raw, and yet it also feels like a salve.

Stream: Fool - Refs

bit.ly/2fc7p0S

I've been on holiday for a week and then swimming deep under the surface of one of the most intense weeks I have experienced in a while. And through that time the idea of writing a blog post has felt like the furthest thing from my mind... Until now!

This new track from Refs, real name Zachary Lipkins, has me moving back into action. Following on from previous single Pain Goes Away, the drums on Fool track barrel along like so many heart beats and breathless moments. With vocals provided by Richard Saunders, the track is one of a series of tracks I have lost myself in recently that feeling like the start of autumn beckoning us in. It has a tender warmth but a raw sadness that tends to come with this season for me.

Describing the track, Zachary says:

"Fool is the heir to Pain Goes Away – it's that two way street of being in a relationship, both sides of the coin, the with and the without"

Check it out above.