By Jack

Through evocative cut-ups and stark dada poetry, Tess Roby conjures up a minimalist wash of past, present, and could-have-been. ‘Catalyst’ is uncompromising and downcast, but vitalising too.

A recent addition to the Italians Do It Better label, Tess Roby has the vampiric vocal punch of Ian Curtis – and the smoky sound of Unknown Pleasures bears heavy on ‘Catalyst’.

Here heartbreak is cast as an unavoidable & deathly voyage –  a relationship struggling to withstand over an ever expanding obstacle. Powerful, gothic imagery swims around the hazy synths like the aura of a desert mirage.

The video, depicting Tess in the lo-fi remoteness of a Jodorowsky movie, furnish the song perfectly. ‘Catalyst’ makes no bones about being bleak, lunar poetry. On that basis it’ll either captivate or confound. But it’s power is undeniable.

Follow Tess Roby here.