Alan Sparhawk

White Roses, My God Alan Sparhawk

Alan Sparhawk is best known as one half of the duo, Low, who have been making outstanding slowcore for decades, and who in their last five years possessed an almost unimaginable creative rush, releasing two of their strongest and most genre-bending albums to date, ‘Double Negative’ and ‘Hey What!’. Sadly, these were also the duo's last two albums, as the other half of the duo, Mimi Parker - not just a creative partner but also Alan's spouse - passed away. A woman with a unique, delicate voice and a crucial part of what Low stood for. So it's only natural that Low has been shelved. But the music has not, fortunately.

On his new album, Alan Sparhawk continues to explore new musical corners. The album was created in a process that can seem chaotic. Through improvised play with synths in particular, which is not an instrument he has naturally played much with over the years. But the improvised experiments slowly began to take shape, as if real song structures naturally pressed in and had to come out. Alan himself describes ‘White Roses, My God’ as an exorcism that doesn't seek to banish the spirit but instead to set it free.

‘White Roses, My God’ feels in many ways like a hard break with the past. A debut, almost. And yet, three decades of experience do not deny themselves. Alan may break musical boundaries and stray from the beaten track, but you're never in doubt that this is the right path for him.