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Tapir!

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Tapir!
Six musicians play music on a stage in front of a crowd, lit by pink and blue lights. One is playing a keyboard, one is playing a trumpet, three are playing various types of guitars, and one is playing drums.
Tapir! performing in July 2023
Background information
OriginLondon, England
Genres
Years active2019–present
LabelsHeavenly
Members
  • Ike Gray
  • Ronnie Longfellow
  • Emily Hubbard
  • Tom Rogers-Coltman
  • Will McCrossan
  • Wilfred Cartwright
Websitetapirband.co.uk

Tapir! are an English indie folk band, formed in London in 2019. Known for their blending of folk music with genres such as post-punk and art pop, their first album, The Pilgrim, Their God and the King of My Decrepit Mountain, was released on 26 January 2024. They released their first single, "My God", in 2022. They have played live shows and festivals, opening concerts for artists such as Ian Sweet and Explosions in the Sky. Tapir!'s musical style has been compared to folk art, with many aspects of their music being inspired by biblical, mythical, and literary sources.

Career

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Tapir! consists of six musicians based in South London,[1][2] many of whom are a part of other projects.[3] The band formed in 2019 and began releasing music three years later;[2] they released "My God", written during the COVID-19 pandemic,[4] as their first single,[5] and the EP Act 1 (The Pilgrim) in 2022.[6] These were both later re-released, with "My God" becoming a single for their first album[4] and Act 1 (The Pilgrim) being remastered and re-released to coincide with the signing of the band to Heavenly Recordings in May 2023.[6]

Tapir! began playing live shows in 2022, opening for Ian Sweet in May.[7] In August, they performed at Green Man Festival.[2][8] In March 2023, they were announced as part of the October Left of the Dial festival.[9] On 8 November, Tapir! opened a concert for post-rock band Explosions in the Sky at Troxy.[10]

Tapir!'s first album, The Pilgrim, Their God and the King of My Decrepit Mountain, was released on 26 January 2024.[11] It is composed of three acts:[12][13] their two previous EPs – Act 1 (The Pilgrim) and Act 2 (Their God) – plus four songs in a third act exclusive to the full album.[11] The first song of each act contains narration by Kyle Field.[11] The album tells the story of "The Pilgrim"[11][2] or "Pilgrim",[14] a creature travelling through a fictional world of green hills and red beasts.[5][14][15] The album was described by DIY as "immersed in the cinematic, the mythological and the art of experimenting... an escapist dream, and immersive story".[16]

On 15 August 2024, Tapir! released a new track, "Hallelujah Bruv". It was recorded with Yuri Shibuichi and Hywel Pryer, who had previously worked with the band.[17] On 17 September, they released the single "Nail in a Wooden Trunk".[18][19]

Musical style and reception

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Clash describes Tapir! as "blend[ing] post-punk with folk, indie with skittering electronics" and as art pop.[3] Describing the track "Gymnopédie", Circuit Sweet called its climax "a glorious lo-fi symphony that sounds like it's performed teetering on the edge of a cliff".[1] Writing for Hideous Magazine, Angelika May wrote of the song "My God" that it "exudes an abundance of esotericism and eccentricity, offering intricate and thorough conceptions that make you want to crack open their crimson, mammalian heads in an attempt to understand their process".[20] In a review of the 2022 version of Act 1 for Hard of Hearing Magazine, Lloyd Bolton compared the music's aesthetic to pagan folk art, saying "amid the crackle, artless singalongs create the impression of a fictional pagan ceremony, celebrating the folklore of this imaginary region".[21]

Many of the drums in Tapir!'s music are electronic,[14] although they do have a drummer when playing live.[22] Much of the lyrical inspiration on Act 2 is from biblical, mythical, and literary sources, such as the track "Eidolon" being inspired by a Walt Whitman poem.[23] The band often wears red papier-mâché heads online and for live performances,[11][15] representing the character of Pilgrim.[15][24]

Members

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Discography

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Albums

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EPs

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  • Act 1 (The Pilgrim) (2022, re-released 2023)[6]
  • Act 2 (Their God) (2023)[23]

Singles

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  • "My God" (2022, re-released 2023)[5][20]
  • "On a Grassy Knoll (We'll Bow Together)" (2023)[6]
  • "Gymnopédie" (2023)[1]
  • "Hallelujah Bruv" (2024)[17]
  • "Nail in a Wooden Trunk" (2024)[18]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Tapir! Share New Single & Video "Gymnopédie" & Release EP "Act 2 (Their God)" Out Via Heavenly Recordings". Circuit Sweet. 30 August 2023. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "The debut album from Tapir! has finally arrived". PIAS. 1 February 2024. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
  3. ^ a b Murray, Robin (31 May 2023). "Tapir! Sign To Heavenly Recordings, Line Up New EP". Clash Magazine. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  4. ^ a b Kelly, Tyler Damara (24 October 2023). "Tapir! announce their debut album, The Pilgrim, Their God and the King of My Decrepit Mountain". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  5. ^ a b c Thirlwell, Elvis (17 February 2022). "Tapir! Share Debut Single 'My God'". So Young Magazine. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  6. ^ a b c d Kelly, Tyler Damara (30 May 2023). "London-based band Tapir! sign to Heavenly Records". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  7. ^ "Ian Sweet". The Grace. 26 May 2022. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  8. ^ Linazasoro, Nick (26 August 2022). "Green Man Festival celebrates 20th anniversary". Brighton and Hove News. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  9. ^ Mason, Julia (24 March 2023). "NEWS: Left Of The Dial Continues To Add To Its Impressive Line-up For October Festival". God Is In The TV. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  10. ^ "Explosions In The Sky". Troxy. 8 November 2023. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  11. ^ a b c d e Stark, Emily (22 January 2024). "Tapir! - The Pilgrim, Their God, And The King Of My Decrepit Mountain (Heavenly Recordings)". God Is In The TV. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  12. ^ a b Kelly, Tyler Damara (26 January 2024). "Tapir! present their debut album, The Pilgrim, Their God and the King of My Decrepit Mountain". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  13. ^ "18 Great Records You May Have Missed: Winter 2024". Pitchfork. 15 May 2024. Retrieved 13 July 2024.
  14. ^ a b c Linazasoro, Nick (1 August 2022). "Get out your 'Sunnbrella' and put on that vintage dress". Brighton and Hove News. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  15. ^ a b c Carter, Daisy (27 October 2023). "Tapir!: "this project is very much alive"". DIY. Archived from the original on 8 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  16. ^ McCarthy, Neive (24 January 2024). "Tapir! - The Pilgrim, Their God and the King of My Decrepit Mountain". DIY. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  17. ^ a b Kelly, Tyler Damara (15 August 2024). "Tapir! return with the brand new track, "Hallelujah Bruv"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 15 August 2024.
  18. ^ a b Wescott, Andrew (17 September 2024). "Tapir! share new track 'Nail in a wooden trunk' and announce extensive UK/EU tour". Dork. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  19. ^ Kelly, Tyler Damara (17 September 2024). "Tapir! present new single, "Nail In A Wooden Trunk"". The Line of Best Fit. Retrieved 17 September 2024.
  20. ^ a b May, Angelika (25 October 2023). "Tapir! tease debut album with single 'My God'". Hideous Mink Records. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  21. ^ Bolton, Lloyd (21 September 2022). "Indie Rock as Pagan Folk Art: 'Act I' grants us access to the extended universe of Tapir!". Hard of Hearing. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  22. ^ a b c d e f g Cross, Reuben (11 September 2023). "End of the Road 2023: A vintage weekend from a five-star festival". Wax Music. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  23. ^ a b Kelly, Tyler Damara (29 August 2023). "Tapir! unveil the brand new EP, Act 2 (Their God)". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on 26 January 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  24. ^ Ward, George (10 October 2023). "Tapir! On Mythology, Multimedia and Exclamation Marks". Clunk Magazine. Archived from the original on 1 March 2024. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
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