Houndstooth release Pariah's debut full length, Here From Where We Are. The artist's first release in six years marks a natural progression in his sound across nine interconnected pieces. Arthur Cayzer was a relative late comer to dance music. He grew up in various "not very good" hardcore and punk bands before moving to London and being swept away by dubstep. After just six months messing around making his own stuff on Logic, Pitchfork coverage piqued the interest of the legendary R&S, and over the next two years he released three EPs with the Belgian label. Each one showed subtle evolution and further established Pariah on the international scene. Since then, Arthur has continued to DJ round the world and play live with Blawan as Karenn. Musically, though, he's been adrift. With countless unfinished projects cluttering his hard drive, he felt he'd pressured himself into making the music people expected, rather than music that was an honest reflection of himself. It was only by taking a step back to analyse the music that has always resonated with him-and where, how, when and in what context it did-that gave him a renewed confidence in his work. After one track was finished, an album of coherent pieces naturally followed. Although Here From Where We Are is inspired by a series of very personal reflections, responses and reactions, Arthur is keen for people to process it in their own way, free from interference. Opening with the transcendental Log Jam which spills into the huge, empty and plaintive Pith, the artist distills his experiences into an album of nine moving, multi-layered tracks, where peculiar textures combine with rich harmonies and absorbing melodies into a heady mix of abstracted environments, formally structured songs and sound collages. Absorbing from start to finish, Here From Where We Are is a long overdue return and accomplished new direction for this rejuvenated producer.
