Having given himself more exposure as the singer and guitarist of three-piece post-punk group Hissing Tiles, Cincinnati, Ohio-based Michael Latella has also pursued a solo project recording as Fourth Wife. 2021 finds him set to release a new full-length titled Head Fell Between Two Horses, and it’s as compellingly strange a record I’ve come across in a while.
Tracks on the album range from lurching noise experiments to bright pop tunes and, honestly, a little bit of everything in between. Even at its most abrasive, though, the complex layering and frequently dramatic vocals make it a captivating and singular piece of sound art, particularly when you consider that virtually everything one hears here was produced by Latella himself.
Premiering here, we’ve got the album’s third track titled “Hospital Cop 2.” As the press release says: “'Hospital Cop 2’ is tightly coiled post-punk that carefully reveals itself in stages, through feints and darts, through depth charge blasts of power-pop and sticky piano melodies. Michael Latella's voice, reedy and worn, steers the composition to a triumphant and wounded conclusion.”
Dig in below, and head over here to preorder Head Fell Between Two Horses, an album that I’d describe as being quite eclectic and definitely a little out there... in a good way.
