In a tale told in three acts, Tapir! take you on a journey: the journey of a creature called ‘The Pilgrim’. Through sound and story, this fantastical, folksy fable paints a delicate picture of an epic expedition across rolling landscapes and treacherous seas, perhaps even stopping for a brief stint in heaven along the way.
The London based six-piece are often seen donning their eccentric red paper mâché headgear, and through their many accompanying artistic endeavours, whether that be ambiguous artwork or ambitious videos, Tapir! present a multi disciplinary venture designed to draw you in to ‘The Nether’, a wondrous world of grassy knolls and mysterious long nosed beings.
With the concept album now largely a thing of the past, replaced by singular songs shuffled on streaming playlists, it’s refreshing to sit down to an all encompassing experience, and one that is designed to be consumed as a whole.
Each of the three acts, the first two of which dropped as separate EPs last year, open with a brief spoken introduction from Kyle Field of Californian act Little Wings, whose words are accompanied by a vivid soundscape designed to envelop the listener in the setting.
‘On a Grassy Knoll (We’ll Bow Together)’ sets off the story with the call to gather on a mystical mountain. Constant, flickering percussion highlights a sense of urgency, as does the versatility of vocalist Ike Gray’s soaring voice. ‘Swallow’, the sorrowful tale of a broken winged bird, somehow melds haphazard guitars and an almost grating drum beat into a hazy, holistic treat. This calming form of chaos is also evident on ‘The Nether (Face To Face)’, as half spoken vocal sections dig up a sense of dread, before the track unceremoniously fades, only to rise again.
As the Pilgrim sets off across the stormy seas, a tense tide of uneasiness washes ashore on ‘Broken Ark’, while the hymn-like harmonies of ‘Gymnopédie’ recount an heavenly encounter. This rather laid-back second act concludes with simple acoustic number ‘Eidolon’, supplemented by an additional female backing vocal, one which serendipitously floats to the surface on Act Three’s ‘Untitled’.
Despite appearing in the final act, ‘My God’ serves as a prequel of sorts to the tale of the Pilgrim: a historical recount of the cracking of a mysterious giant egg, its gushing yolk decimating the landscape. But the energetic track works just as well as a standalone rumination on consumerism and commercialism. The atheistic anthem opens with a simple beat before leading into multiple layers of shimmering acoustic, as the lyrics acknowledge the agony of our supposedly sacred existence, namedropping big brands such as Maybelline, Hugo Boss and iPhone. In and amongst the concerns of capitalism, a throwaway mention of “200,000 dead” feels especially prevalent in these tumultuous times.
‘Mountain Song’ serves as the cinematic climax, as the Pilgrim reaches the end of their journey, and undertakes their arduous final ascent. Beginning with acoustic and rough take vocals, the beat soon picks up, before exhaustion overtakes. But then, at last, the summit is reached, graduating into a grand finale backed by a euphoric choir.
Lyrically, the album is awash with references to mythology and religion, and yet, it remains firmly grounded in reality. In fact, if one were to listen to the record without any prior context, the story encased in it mightn’t be immediately apparent. But despite being a tough egg to crack, Tapir!’s debut is a peculiar pilgrimage that everyone should be looking to set out on.
The Pilgrim, Their God, and the King of My Decrepit Mountain is out 26th January on Heavenly Recordings
