Spiritcake - 'Bel∞ved' — When The Horn Blows

Philippe Nash is an artist who finds inspiration from the natural world and the conflicts that reside beneath him. Spiritcake is his latest project and is a direct influence of Anthropocene.

There are certain songs that demand attention; and then there are subtle ones that just grab you and whisk you away. 'Bel∞ved' is a part of the latter. There is something quite haunting and pained in Nash’s voice – which is reminiscent of Thom York’s strained style of singing – and given the subject of the project, it is only fitting for there to be a sense of urgency in the message portrayed. There is an essense of anthropomorphism that comes along with the idea of Nash speaking on behalf of our dying planet. “There’s no-one who could restore me and no way to be filled, but you put your heart upon me.” The end of the song sees a defeated voice repeat: “all I want is love” amidst the melancholic acoustic backdrop.

Speaking of the Spiritcake song, Nash says it was “written in a time of environmental awakening [with] my eyes opening to an external and internal collapse. I was longing for what could transcend and bind.” The song has had many iterations in the past, but he chose the most stripped back minimal version, to be the first release of his new project. Spiritcake will be performing at Green Man Festival, this summer, so if you’re wanting a moment of sullen reflection during a busy weekend, you know where to go.

Words by Tyler Damara Kelly