Today kiwi singer-songwriter Corban Koschak, who creates under the guise of This Pale Fire, celebrates the release of his debut album Alchemy. A collection of carefully selected gems from his time up in Matakana writing songs with fellow New Zealand artist Levi Patel, this impressive debut work balances subtle, more ambient tracks like ‘Northern Lights’ with darker, angstier creations such as ‘End of Science’.
The intriguingly introverted young artist has been slowly attracting the attention around the globe. Mark our words – he is one to watch. Earlier this year, The Huffington Post premiered ‘End of Science’, while his gorgeous new single and video for ‘Curse’ premiered on hhhhappy this week, who said of it: “Sinister and wicked, yet somehow infectious… falling nothing short of stunning.”
What the world is saying…
“A force to be reckoned with, Koschak is creating music that is raw, personal and honest with a complexion to match the name.” – hhhhappy
“closest maybe to Dan Smith with some of Thom York’s falsetto brilliance brushed on. This gets you into the neighbourhood rather than an exact address, Corban’s sound is all his own.” – NZ Musician
“Koschak’s voice, irrefutably impressive, imbues the music with a hauntingly bruised essence of melancholy surging with a sonic aura of elegance. It’s a voice difficult to define, simultaneously exuding constrained flamboyance, charming delicacy and assertive vitality.” – Huffington Post
This Pale Fire – Alchemy
(Out today!)
Northern Lights
Virago
Float Out
The Stag
The Sky
Wolf
Delicate Words
Mountains
End of Science
Birdcage
Curse
Outro
Purchase digitally here – hyperurl.co/2t22mx
Stream on Spotify & Apple Music here
Available in all record stores today!
About This Pale Fire:
Born in Wellington and moving to the concrete jungle of Auckland from a young age, and having never formally studied music, the 27-year-old’s passion started when he was gifted a guitar when he was just 14-years-old. He’s always loved poetry and soon started writing song after song in his bedroom. It wasn’t until a fellow musician and close confidant heard some of this and encouraged him to pursue it that he broke out of those four walls.
The result was his first EP Dusk. Enlisting the help of Ekko Park’s Nick Douch (drums), alongside Dead Favours‘ Kyle Wetton (electric guitars and bass) and Josh Steyn-Ross (keys), the band added further layers to his honed pop instincts, with the result a stunning introduction to the honest independent artist.
It was also during this time that This Pale Fire had a very fortuitous meeting with fellow local artist and producer, Cymbol 303 – who had been steadily building a profile in his own right, taking out the George FM Remix Factor Competition in 2013 and playing high-profile shows including Rhythm & Vines. Crossing paths professionally, the two would ultimately go on to release collaborative EP The Cycle in July 2015.
While dance floor EDM meets earnest indie rock may at first seem like an unlikely collaboration, This Pale Fire and Cymbol 303’s collaboration was a bold and realized one. Compiling a compelling collection of songs, the EP explored the different stages of relationships, from infatuation through to bitter resentment, while the artwork – which features an infinity sign – is all about trying to break this relationship cycle. Lead single off the record ‘Burst of Colour’ has had over 460k + streams to date.
Now in 2017, Koschak releases his debut album Alchemy. The whole album is a self-written and overseen project – with everything from the songs to the album artwork created by Koschak. With initial recordings taking place at kiwi producer Levi Patel‘s isolated Matakana studio, the tracks were recorded and finalised at Kingsland’s Studio 509 (Big Pop Studios). The 12-track offering takes you to the centre of Koschak’s fabric through deep observations, love songs and existential thought.
Koschak has been dubbed one of the most unique new voices to emerge from Auckland’s thriving music scene – a voice that threads emotion throughout his unique brand of classically inflected ambient folk-pop. With a loyal local and international audience forming, he is undoubtedly one to watch.
Follow This Pale Fire online:
Facebook / Twitter / YouTube / Soundcloud
Follow This Pale Fire on Spotify / Apple Music
