There are specific moments that happen in everyone’s life—seemingly inconsequential events with memories attached that remain inexplicably vivid in our minds. Such a circumstance is being invoked and skillfully demonstrated through the musical execution of the latest track from Canadian act Illitry, which we are premiering for you today. Their new single, “Wildberry”, is a slow-burner in every sense of the word, and it begins with little more than a minimal synth progression and a manipulated percussion sample to give us a glimpse of the journey we are about to embark on. Lead singer Troy Witherow takes our hand as his harmonized vocals lead us through their melodic landscape—one that becomes increasingly more complex at every turn. Every few bars, there are subtle incorporations of sustained, synthesized bass notes and additional percussion elements, and they all intensify as we relive the orchestrated memory of a playful adventure ultimately ending up twisted within a wild berry bush. The aftermath of that unfortunate encounter is where the musical prowess of Chester Edington truly shines. Temporarily wiping the sonic slate clean, we are ushered into the third act with a pounding bass drum to which each musical component is reintroduced with urgency—creating an emphatic basis for Witherow to recall hearing “the bleeding / all the cursing and the weeping”. It is a visceral and surreal experience that Illitry has created here—a masterclass in electronic-pop composition and a testimony that song structure can be just as important to the narrative as the lyrics themselves. Do get yourself acclimated with the effort of theirs below, and join us in anticipation for when they finally drop their debut release, The Sunset EP, in the near future.
Illitry