B-Side Guys

Recording in pitch darkness might seem like a gimmick, but for AK Patterson’s “Morticia,” it’s the perfect summoning ritual. Working with producer Charlie Andrew (alt-J, David Gilmour), Patterson transforms a historical murder ballad into something both visceral and transcendent, proving that light can emerge from the blackest spaces.

The track’s innovative sound design reveals Patterson’s technical adventurousness. A contact-miked concertina becomes an ominous foghorn, creating subterranean frequencies that anchor the composition. This experimentation extends throughout the arrangement, where Patterson handles multiple instruments herself, joined only by Adam Betts (aka Colossal Squid) on drums and Leon Itzler on bass.

Patterson’s vocal performance draws a direct line from The Cranberries’ Dolores O’Riordan to modern chamber pop, blending Irish folk traditions with alternative rock’s muscular drive. The influence of Soundgarden and Tool emerges in the track’s heavier moments, but Patterson’s distinctive voice – once dubbed “Buckley with boobs” by fans – cuts through the darkness with fierce clarity.

The lyrics reimagine a gruesome historical murder from the victim’s perspective, with death personified as Morticia becoming both destroyer and potential savior. Patterson’s walks through London Bridge and Borough Market infuse the narrative with geographical specificity, grounding supernatural elements in concrete reality. This intersection of past and present, physical and metaphysical, gives “Morticia” its peculiar power.

Following her stint touring with Bastille and her haunting debut “I Don’t Know How to Die,” Patterson demonstrates remarkable range on this sophomore release. “Morticia” suggests an artist equally comfortable exploring both sonic and thematic extremes, finding beauty in brutality and hope in horror. It’s a powerful indication of what’s to come on her promised third EP, where London’s shadows might reveal even darker treasures.