Having given himself more exposure as the singer and guitarist of three-piece post-punk group Hissing Tiles, Cincinnati, Ohio-based Michael Latella has also pursued a solo project recording as Fourth Wife. 2021 finds him set to release a new full-length titled Head Fell Between Two Horses, and it’s as compellingly strange a record I’ve come across in a while.
Tracks on the album range from lurching noise experiments to bright pop tunes and, honestly, a little bit of everything in between. Even at its most abrasive, though, the complex layering and frequently dramatic vocals make it a captivating and singular piece of sound art, particularly when you consider that virtually everything one hears here was produced by Latella himself.
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Premiering here, we’ve got the album’s third track titled “Hospital Cop 2.” As the press release says: “'Hospital Cop 2’ is tightly coiled post-punk that carefully reveals itself in stages, through feints and darts, through depth charge blasts of power-pop and sticky piano melodies. Michael Latella's voice, reedy and worn, steers the composition to a triumphant and wounded conclusion.”
Dig in below, and head over here to preorder Head Fell Between Two Horses, an album that I’d describe as being quite eclectic and definitely a little out there... in a good way.
