Experimental solo recording project, Orchid Mantis, is the brainchild of Atlanta’s Thomas Howard. The project started in 2014, and on its plentiful of releases so far it has been balancing between exploratory ambiance and tighter structured pop songwriting through elegant lo-fi aesthetics and unorthodox samplings.
The latest album by Orchid Mantis is Kulla Sunset, a contemplative record, written and recorded over two years, from 2015-2017. Opening track, Sunlight, sets the mood and engages the listener right off the bat.
The artist offers a glimpse into his procedure and the song's meaning: "The chords and melody for Sunlight were first composed on a Portasound PS-2 in the summer of 2016. At the time I think I was pursuing some lyrical tangent involving waking dreams and in-between states of consciousness. Throughout the recording process, the song naturally guided itself in a direction I don’t think I could have imagined before all the pieces came together – which is always an odd, mystical feeling. Today it reminds me of long drives out of the city and the ambiance of open spaces in the country."
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