If anyone ever questions whether music is magical, I point them to either Mark Pritchard‘s work, or to Radiohead. So when I heard that Pritchard was working with Thom Yorke, I was both delighted and scared. What if this created the most beautiful sound in existence? Would I fall in love instantly? I informed my girlfriend, and she said she understood if I had to leave her for this song. Now, after hearing the six-minute collaboration, I’m about to go out and buy an engagement ring to marry the song. Beautiful People is astonishingly good.
Following the remarkable Sad Alron, this track is decidedly more haunting. It opens with a minimalist flute-sounding intro, building into a marvellous layered track. Yorke’s vocals begin distorted, but clarity emerges. It’s mellow music, but in the end, it’s lovely. Pritchard says that “Beautiful People is a personal song about loss, hopelessness and chaos, but ultimately the message is love and hope.”
Pritchard will be part of this year’s Red Bull Music Academy in New York, where he will be showcasing his upcoming album, Under The Sun. If you get the chance, consider check it out, as it will be part of an “immersive audio visual installation” developed in collaboration with artist Jonathan Zawada.
Under The Sun is out May 13 on Warp. Listen to Beautiful People below.
Under The Sun Tracklist
1. ?
2. Give It Your Choir (feat. Bibio)
3. Infrared
4. Falling
5. Beautiful People (feat. Thom Yorke)
6. Where Do They Go, The Butterflies
7. Sad Alron
8. You Wash My Soul (feat. Linda Perhacs)
9. Cycles Of 9
10. Hi Red
11. Ems
12. The Blinds Cage (feat. Beans)
13. Dawn Of The North
14. Khufu
15. Rebel Angels
16. Under The Sun