Alec Bathgate Shares Solo Album 'Phantom Dots'

Toy Love, Tall Dwarfs and The Enemy's not-so-secret weapon Alec Bathgate has released his first solo album since 2004, when his much loved The Indifferent Velvet Void surfaced. Forewarned only by "novelty song" '73 Smash' appearing on his Bandcamp two weeks ago, and a smattering of subdued promo on social media, Phantom Dots is a delightful instrumental surprise. The album, mixed and mastered at North Otago's Sublime Studio, was mostly recorded over the past couple of years, save for a mysterious few that Bathgate "resurrected and finished off". Tied together by fuzz and tempo, the sixteen tracks dip into moments of funk, rock'n'roll piano, and grunty synth, then there's the likes of 'This Room Unavailable' and 'Crick', a thrilling plunge into experimentation, with string squeaks and didgeridoo. Fellow Flying Nun alumni Hamish Kilgour (The Clean) manned the kit on 'Imposter Syndrome', who is thanked alongside others who contributed "tuition", "patience" and "critiques". Enjoy this rare gem from an Aotearoa music legend...