We previously featured hovercraft as they made an intentional return and invited us to connect with the universe through their emotive single, The Promised Land, so naturally, we couldn’t wait to listen to their double A-side of two reconstructed 1996 songs – New Pine Overcoat, and Angel.
New Pine Overcoat opens with an Americana guitar soundscape and sublime, atmospheric vocals with a clear 90s adjacency. The prose is poetic and takes us on a journey. It mixes notions of youthful freedom with deep uncertainty.
In essence, New Pine Overcoat talks about the concept of running away, chasing the future and feeling lost. There is celebration amidst the chaos, and hope in small things. It feels like there is a sense of a generation trying to find itself, perfect for a performance at The Bronze in Buffy The Vampire Slayer. We could also imagine Lana Del Rey singing this!
Underneath the fun is something darker. The lyrics touch on elements of despair, dependence and the fear of losing someone. The promise of a better life feels somewhat fragile. The existential final lines show a mix of dark humour and pain. They reveal a struggle with suicidal thoughts and emotional burden.
As for Angel, the song opens with intimate guitar and the lyrics, “I always said you were an angel…”. The song is about love lost and the damage it leaves behind. We are invited to remember someone that we once saw as perfect. We recall a slow drifting apart, abandonment and confusion. The hurt repeats in our mind.
Underneath the anger is grief. We try to forget through self-destruction. The song is clearly a response to what happens at the end of New Pine Overcoat. Life is heavy and chaotic. Again, we speak of giving up, shutting down and hiding from the pain. By the end, the mood shifts to bitterness and revenge. It manifests as a messy, emotional attempt to take back power after heartbreak.
All in all the pairing of tracks holds a high emotional quotient and we are fully in awe. We appreciate the sync friendly nature of the releases, and can imagine both songs in movies and TV shows. You can experience and buy the tracks now via Bandcamp, and stream hovercraft‘s wider discography on Spotify with an incoming album set for release on Friday!