‘Pugh’ begins with a simple premise of a church-turned-nightclub in York and a loose connection to the singer’s surname before dissolving into something more hazy and surreal.
Over a bed of jangly guitar and warbly melodica tones, Reuben Pugh’s stream-of-consciousness lyrics drift between fragments of memory, observation and seemingly disconnected thoughts. What begins as an anecdote becomes something closer to a captured reverie.
York-via-Leeds duo Troutflies, comprised of Reuben Pugh on guitar and Guy Godivala on melodica occupy a whimsical corner of DIY outsider pop, steeped in the eccentricity and dry humour of British folk and psychedelia, constructing their own strange little world.
Having recently shared stages with American home recording pioneer Linda Smith, alongside fellow experimentalists Glasshouse Red Spider Mite and MPTL Microplastics, the duo now turn towards their second album ‘Wild Troutflies’, out 23rd via Leeds’ emerging powerhouse label Private Regcords.
Speaking on the record, Reuben says: “This album is a collection of songs that act as a placeholder for the year I’ve had. I was working a job that meant I had to be up at 6 AM, often with no sleep, so it’s all about working, being tired and missing people”. This sentiment bleeds into ‘Pugh’, where candid ruminations drift from one thought to the next, not settling for too long.
