Unsound has revealed full details of the Intermission book and album that were both initially teased last year in the run-up to the festival’s 2020 online edition.
Unsound explains that the book and compilation were "first conceived as an extension of [last year’s] online edition," but have since "developed into a standalone project." The festival describes them as "a time capsule of a year of upheaval, made up of words, field recordings and music."
The album, which will be released digitally and on double vinyl, takes in new and unreleased music by Ben Frost, Slikback, Chris Watson, Moor Mother & Geng, Jana Winderen, and Jlin & SOPHIE, among others. The latter pair collaborate on ‘JSLOIPNHIE’, with Unsound dedicating the release to SOPHIE, who recently passed away. On another track, Angel Bat Dawid, Ellen Fullman, Księżyc, Laraaji, Nicolás Jaar, Resina and more collaborate on a piece that has its origins in one of Unsound 2020’s online events.
The book, meanwhile, combines memoirs, critical texts and poetry, taking in 25 written pieces in all. It covers subjects such as the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown, ecology, mental health, conspiracy theories, racism, LGBTQ+ rights, sound, tourism, the precarious state of the music industry, nostalgia, and identity. Authors include music journalists, nature writers, novelists, poets, theorists, curators and activists. (The Quietus’ own Luke Turner has contributed one essay to the book.)
Unsound will release Intermission on March 5, 2021.
