Naarm/Melbourne-based “gentle and tender” (Anika Luna, Triple J) indie artist DARVID THOR (he/him) reminds us of the importance of self-generating reflection with ‘Changing Shape’; a song detailing the malleability of memories and our unmoored identities as a result. ‘Changing Shape’, along with the music video directed by Darvid and Beloved label mate Lewis Coleman, is out now via Beloved Recordings - stream/watch HERE.

Occupying the fuzzy middle distance between shoegaze and downtempo, Darvid and his friends carve out a ballad tinted by tenderness and connection. As Hudson Whitlock’s drums generate the current with subdividing high hats and a slowly nodding beat, Lewis’ bass swells in the low end, granting Darvid space to tenderize his memories, kinking his voice into past and present shapes and atmospheres. The breadth of Darvid’s guitar work on ‘Changing Shape’ is staggering. Careful acoustic inflections on each breakdown provide a powerful counterweight to the sombre chords, before tumescent electric overlays erupt in the final quarter, expressing the extent of possibilities when you confront your identity with radical love and curiosity. 

Having entirely self-recorded and produced his “absorbing, photosynthetic, warped, beautiful” (Triple J) debut “I’m Never Really Here” (2019), Darvid felt the urge to open up a process that would allow him to create in a deeper and more nuanced way; a creative process rooted in community and friendship. Garnering support from the likes of BeachFossils and DangerMouse around this record, Darvid’s woozy indie rock is a reminder for us to slow down, take a breath, and take stock of what’s around us.

Darvid Thor’s solo project is one side of his prolific output as an artist, label founder, and collaborator. Growing up with a tight-knit group of musicians that formed The Cactus Channel in 2008, Darvid and his cohort built and developed a unique sound, process, and community, collectively contributing to over 50 releases since 2011. This family has grown to include beloved cinematic-soul group Karate Boogaloo, enigmatic art-rocker Lewis Coleman, the dreamy Winten, and the mysterious Pro-Teens. At the heart of his practice lies the establishment of Beloved Recordings (Rowena Wise, Lewis Coleman), an indie record label championing lyrically captivating and musically daring art-rock, indie-folk, and weirdo-pop. Finally, there’s Frollen Music Library, founded by Darvid and fellow Karate Boogaloo members to create analog soul and library music for producers, who recently placed a sample in ScHoolboy Q’s latest record, “Blue Lips”.

‘Changing Shape’shows again how Darvid is a master of the psychoacoustic lullaby, and along with his band, remain the silver surfers of contemporary indie music in Naarm.