When I reviewed the debut LP by the Derbyshire trio Haiku Salut, Tricolore, for PopMatters back in 2013, I wrote, “A strong sense of nuance and sensibility of composition is very much alive in this trio, and this record captures a truly creative — and still young — group that’s bound to go places from here.” Two years later, with their sophomore outing Etch and Etch Deep, my initial prediction remains true. The three women of Haiku Salut — Louise, Sophie, and Gemma — remain captivating instrumental landscapers on their new LP.
Take the tune “Bleak and Beautiful (All Things)”, the new video of which you can view exclusively below. On the track, the trio brings together a post-rock aesthetic similar to fellow Brits Maybeshewill and a well-placed, whimsical waltz section into one pensive, melancholy whole. Video director James Michael Machin matches the song’s visual richness with a complementary set of images; however, it’s a testament to Haiku Salut’s musical ability that images like Machin’s come to mind even without the video backing the song. Still, the video to “Bleak and Beautiful (All Things)” is a fine capture of what it is that makes this trio so charming, and a perfect lead-in to the vividly coloured sonic canvas that is Etch and Etch Deep.
Sophie says to PopMatters, “The video is directed by James from the band Grawlix, who is the most talented person we know. James came up with the idea of three people with one purpose to control the days and nights so we took the contents of our living room up onto the hill behind the place where we rehearse in the Derbyshire Dales and spent the day filming there. The sparkly night scene was filmed in the woods next to the field that grows Christmas trees. The idea relates to the meaning of the title ‘Bleak and Beautiful (All Things)’ which in part is to do with abandoning the idea of fate.”
Etch and Etch Deep is out on 31 July via How Does It Feel to Be Loved.
You can stream and purchase Tricolore via Bandcamp: