'Arguably one of the most engaging and under-appreciated creative forces around today' - Broken8Records (AUS)
'Dreamy, floaty compositions that are a counterweight to darkness' - Luminous Dash (BE)
'Serene post-rock guitar work and spacey synth ambience' - Obscure Sound (US)
'A sonic immersion that transcends the expectations of conventional post-rock' - Radio Armazem (BR)
'A journey through emotional highs and lows, captured in artfully woven sound carpets that captivate the listener' - AM:PLIFIED (DE)
An ambient instrumental post-rock project by English musician Pete Barnes (Utrecht, NL).
Second album Circles was released in January 2024 and is the follow-up to 2022’s debut A Spectral Moon, based on a serious cycling accident that literally catapulted Barnes into disarray in November 2020. Written during an extended recovery period and far from family and friends in England, Circles is inspired by personal struggles with health, acceptance and letting go of the past. Post concussion syndrome symptoms forced Barnes to live a secluded life out of necessity, and during this time music became the ideal therapy. The result is a powerful ambient instrumental record inspired by Brexit, Covid and the difficult, ongoing path to Barnes’ recovery.
The feeling of literally going around in circles is a recurring theme on the album; injuries arising from this accident forced him to put his life on hold and reassess, resulting in a somewhat dysfunctional existence, as well as a growing sense of dislocation from many aspects of his life which had previously been taken for granted. A primal pull to be in the UK furthered this sense of dislocation and isolation. Barnes was restricted by his physical inability to travel, a situation which was made even more untenable by a worldwide pandemic as well as Brexit.
Thistle Sifter has played audiovisual concerts across the Netherlands, Germany and Belgium, including AFAS Live in Amsterdam (with Sigur Rós), Le Guess Who? Festival (Utrecht) & Roadburn Festival (Tilburg). The live line-up features Pete Barnes (guitar & synths), Tom Broshuis (guitar), Rob Wickham (bass & synths), Koen Klarenbeek (drums).
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Photo by Lisanne Lentink