Single Of The Week - 'Black Rain' by Richard Evans

Richard Evans is a singer-songwriter, electronica artist from Manchester, and former keyboardist/ co-writer with the band James and guitarist/ songwriter for St Vitus Dancers. As an electronica artist, Evans bridges the gap between ambient pop and synth-pop that takes you on an exotic escapade of sprightly sonics and euphoric highs. He’s an artist whose music sparks up nostalgia, whilst taking you to a place of hedonism that’s cleaned up it’s act and reunites on the dance-floor. Evans is an artist that transcends a positive energy that uplifts, tranquilises and emancipates the soul.

Taken from his forthcoming album ‘Sentinel’, Evans’s single “Black Rain” reflects on the Cold War, whose repetitive use of the word ‘hibakusha’ sets the theme and evokes a dystopian darkness which filters throughout. It’s a captivating track whose smooth synths, pitter-patter spurts and 3D aesthetics, glide down the post-punk pathways of Krautrock and euro-synth-pop. Immaculately produced, Black Rain throbs in the back-alleys of 90s ambient dance, dazes from the mist of 80s synth-pop and elevates with a grandiose of subtle theatrics. Minimalist and meticulous, Evans delivers with urban cool and polished prose, that blend effortlessly with his tonality of technicolour and celestial-chrome.

Through the thought-provoking lyrics and spacious interludes, Black Rain ponders with a mantra of political musings, that taps into the frequencies of 70s experimental electronica. It’s a track that confirms that Evans is an artist with his finger on the pulse, whilst pressing the buttons with the pioneers of electro-pop. Soothing and hypnotic, Black Rain is a tonic of trance, a serenity of synth-pop that alternates between an array of subconscious, conscious and subliminal realms.

Released on 19th January 2022, Black Rain has been selected as my “Single Of The Week”.

Soundcloud https://soundcloud.com/richard_evans/black-rain/s-0SGhd3nKl5r
Vinyl pre-order https://www.diggersfactory.com/vinyl/231202
Digital pre-order https://distrokid.com/hyperfollow/richardevans/sentinel
Amazon pre-order https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09LRHBFCX
Concert Tickets https://oldfirestation.org.uk/whats-on/sentinel-2/

CREDITS
Music, lyrics, vocals, programming by Richard Evans
Mixed by Hervé Girardin
Co-produced by Hervé Girardin & Richard Evans
Graphic design by Lee Baxter
Mastered by Digitalflesh Audio Mastering
With thanks to Arts Council England, Creative England, Manchester Science Festival, Waterside Arts and the University of Salford

‘Black Rain’ single from ‘Sentinel’ LP, released on 19th January 2022

Full ‘Sentinel’ LP is out on February 25th 2022 via Cold Star Media

Sentinel will be released digitally across online stores and streaming platforms, including Bandcamp, where it can also be pre-ordered. White 180-gram vinyl can also be pre-ordered exclusively through Diggers Factory. Limited to 300 copies, the vinyl edition is scheduled to ship on April 22nd 2022, depending on the number of orders required.

To mark the digital release, Richard Evans will be performing Sentinel live on March 11th at Oxford’s Old Fire Station.