Exclusive video premiere of ‘Sweeping’, the first single off Joe Kenkel’s forthcoming LP, ‘Naturale’, due 15th January 2022 via Earth Libraries.

‘Sweeping’ is emblematic of such layers, opening with a lo-fi drum machine beat and interchanging guitar and synth melodies swirling into a trance. Kenkel enacts a hypnotic melody by stringing one syllable together at a time, meditating on the daily, domestic rhythms of a relationship: “I / I have seen / I have seen the / I have seen the dust pile up outside your bedroom door.” The circular progression builds upon itself as the lyrics outline the narrator’s willingness to sweep away dust and dander forever — his resolve compounding in momentum until overflowing into a souped-up, noisy guitar outro.

Speaking on the single, Joe wrote:
“‘Sweeping’ is one of five love songs on ‘Naturale’. It’s one of the oldest on the album. Originally, it was written and performed as an electric-heavy rock song. It found a new meaning with this nylon-led version, surrounded with electronic elements. Once Ross and I stumbled upon the feel of this song, we chased that direction for the remainder of the album.

‘Sweeping’ is inspired by the mundane acts of kindness that we perform, without huffing and puffing, for those we care for. Acts of friendship and love don’t have to be some grand gesture. They are most often: sharing a meal, giving a ride to the airport, lending a book, sweeping the cat hair from the floor, etc.

It’s an oddball love song inspired by small acts of kindness performed gladly for the ones you love. Love inserts itself into unconscious, mundane acts and can transform even household chores into deep expressions of affection. This expression can be felt in the repetition of the song’s chord progression and expansion of its atmospheric elements.”

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