Minor Conflict

Bristol-based group Minor Conflict (Slow Dance, Mélodies Souterraines) share new single of intricate DIY avant-pop ‘Parallels II’, from their forthcoming EP ‘Parallels’

A song influenced by dance music that explores human stories shaped by migration, taken from an EP that enriches the band’s poetic post-punk & forward-thinking folk music w/ drone, post-rock, warped field recordings, Krautrock melodicism & more

RIYL Dry Cleaning, Squid, Tara Clerkin Trio, The Orielles

‘Parallels II’ is out now, ‘Parallels’ EP out 24th January 2025
via PRAH Recordings

‘The band’s fascinating, open-ended approach to creativity seems to relish possibility. Picking up on the more inquisitive, experiment[al] end of post-punk, they meld jagged percussion, organic sound & digital tapestries together’ - Clash

‘Minor Conflict are one of the recent UK bands that must be observed closely in the future, especially as they bridge the aesthetics of post-punk with folk tendencies, providing expanded creative expression with their sound’ - Post-Trash

‘A fresh take on the humdrum and the mundane…visceral storytelling’ - So Young Magazine

Bristol-based group Minor Conflict (Slow Dance, Mélodies Souterraines) fuse poetic, forward-thinking post-punk and leftfield folk music, recording exceptional songs about urban living, poetry, human connection, the complexion of the everyday and more.

Comprising Natalie Whiteland (harp / vocals), Josh Smyth (bass / vocals) & Robbie Warin (trumpet / synths / percussion), their new EP ‘Parallels’ elaborates on the artful lyricism and taut musicality of their debut 2023 EP ‘Bright Lights, Dead City’, revealing the refined idiosyncrasies of an inventive group intent on spreading their wings.

Evolving the propulsive angular rhythms, distinctive call-and-response sprechgesang, and dynamic, sumptuous classical instrumentation exhibited on their debut, here Minor Conflict summon seven tracks of astounding ingenuity, displaying an even wider palette of ideas.

‘Parallels II’, the EP’s second single, is a sublime spectacle of driving rhythms and unexpected melodic detours, the compelling centrepiece in a three-part composition that forms the core of the EP. Inspired by dance music and driven by the interplay between electronic sounds and acoustic instruments (harp, bass guitar, drums, horns, saxophone, percussion), it’s an intricate piece of DIY avant-pop that shares some of the best, most adventurous qualities of post-punk and post-rock, but ultimately speaks of the band’s own original vernacular. The lyrics draw on the band’s perspective of human stories shaped by migration, in a poignant dialogue that explores the adversities of enforced separation:

“The song’s narrative follows two lovers attempting to overcome the hurdles of visas and embassies so they can reunite. The inspiration initially came from Robbie’s experiences working in Bosnia with migrants on their journey to Europe, but was crystallised into lyrics by Josh…There is a lyrical overlay as two speakers correspond, both hopeful they can reunite. A propulsive build-up follows, with a rhythmic interplay between harp, bass guitar, percussion, and Marcus’s distinctive drumming style, alongside rising synth chords. In the second lyrical exchange, the two speakers are less certain of their reunion.”

‘Parallels II’ follows their brooding opening single ‘Glue’, a song that epitomises the group’s flourishing sense of individuality, through brooding bass-heavy minimalism, crescendoing havoc and undulating harp-led crests and swells. It’s a song equally attuned to urgent contemporary concerns, one that explores human inaction to environmental challenges in a provocative lyrical exchange: ‘If the tulips wilt / glue them upright…if the skies melt / fetch tar and feathers / if you look wide eyed / glue your lids shut’.

Throughout ‘Parallels’, the sound of Minor Conflict is distinct, sharply defined, conspicuous from the very start. As the opening notes of the sparse, drone-influenced overture ‘Cube’ - a composition of horn harmonies recorded in the auditorium of Bristol’s Cube Microplex - segue into the elegiac tones and mercurial momentums of ‘Margate Sands’, there’s the sense of an invigorated, uninhibited group at play. Their description of making the latter attests to a characteristic sense of creative freedom, while divulging some of the challenging thematic contentions that often define their work:

“Lyrically, ‘Margate Sands’ features three band members’ depictions of Margate’s prominent beach, all based on separate experiences there. The lyrics explore themes of gentrification, environmental destruction, and deindustrialisation. While the band was working on the song in the PRAH studio in Margate, a guitar amp picked up the muffled radio transmissions of freight ships navigating the busy shipping lanes off the coast. These feature in the final section of the song, alongside a colliery-style brass section and arpeggiated harp and bass chords.”

From drone, industrial found sound and colliery brass, Minor Conflict shift into the three part song cycle ‘Parallels I, II, & III’, moving through warped field recordings, sinuous Krautrock melodicism, and a coda of frenetic bass, percussion and brass. A protean cycle that suits the intensity of the subject matter, it represents music that contends adeptly and thoughtfully with contemporary human stories.

Fundamentally, ‘Parallels’ is the sound of Minor Conflict truly, unequivocally coming into their own. A group finding unity in the chaos, parallels in the disorder, facing down modern turbulence with collective spirit, imagination and power.

PRAH

Home of a growing collection of sound pioneers including Falle Nioke, Hannah Holland, the Umlauts, Pozi, Group Listening, Raven Bush, uh, Oliver Coates, Aisha Orazbayeva, Lung Dart, Eve Maret, Bryce Hackford, 

PRAH Recordings finds itself occupying the overlap between classical and electronic music and those wanting to experiment with the fringes of pop.

Bristol-based group Minor Conflict (Slow Dance, Mélodies Souterraines) release new single ‘Parallels II’, combining poetic, forward-thinking post-punk & leftfield folk music Evolving the propulsive angular rhythms, distinctive call-and-response sprechgesang & sumptuous classical instrumentation of their music w/ drone, warped field recordings, sinuous Krautrock melodicism & more RIYL Dry Cleaning, Squid, Tara Clerkin Trio, The Orielles ----- Comprising Natalie Whiteland (harp / vocals), Josh Smyth (bass / vocals) & Robbie Warin (trumpet / synths / percussion), Minor Conflict's new EP ‘Parallels’ elaborates on the artful lyricism and taut musicality of their debut 2023 EP ‘Bright Lights, Dead City’, revealing the refined idiosyncracies of an inventive group intent on spreading their wings. Evolving the propulsive angular rhythms, distinctive call-and-response sprechgesang, and dynamic, sumptuous classical instrumentation exhibited on their debut, here Minor Conflict summon seven tracks of astounding ingenuity, displaying an even wider palette of ideas.