whywhy could only be described as an alchemist when attempting to allude to the hypnotic mesmerism within his balance of distortion, sustain, timing and tone in his standout single, running out of time. The Switzerland-based indie rock artist, real name Guy, writes and records his music at home, shaping dreamy, melancholic guitars into masterstrokes of slow-burning indie post-punk lament that feel far larger than their bedroom-born origins.
Even though the sands of time are slipping all around us, people have set aside enough collective hours to stream the nostalgically art-house official music video over 700k times, and we can see why. The meditation on losing your grip on reality as it withers and pushes you into obsolescence is as haunting as it is transfixing.
There is a presence of Peter Murphy within the drawl of the vocals, set against harbinger-like wounded rings of guitar as they echo a procession to the grave. Fans of Bauhaus, Joy Division, The Cure and Interpol will recognise the shadowy lineage, yet whywhy’s restraint gives running out of time its own fogged-glass tension.
The track holds its malaise in the body rather than leaving it as an abstract mood. No matter how thick the fog in your mind gets, running out of time cuts through like a knife.
running out of time is now available on all major streaming platforms, including YouTube.
Review by Amelia Vandergast