Influences Playlist: Armlock

We are inviting our favorite musicians to compile playlists of the songs, artists and albums that have impacted their latest projects the most. The latest Influences guest is Armlock, the Melbourne duo of Simon Lam and Hamish Mitchell—two musicians who have known each for quite a while, having met years ago while in jazz school together. At one point, they were a part of an IDM trio called I’lls before making sample-imbued music in a group called Couture. On top of that, Mitchell works in graphic design while Lam has made solo music under the name Nearly Oratorio. But Armlock is something brand new and exciting from the Australians. Their seven-song, 19-minute sophomore LP Seashell Angel Lucky Charm (which Lam and Mitchell refer to as “S.A.L.C.”) is unlike anything they’ve made prior. Rather than rely on sampling and computer sounds in full, Lam and Mitchell incorporate physical instruments into the work while allowing those original electronic foundations to remain steady but not overbearing. There are notes of plucky, lingering bass, squealing guitars and heavy, charming drum anchors. It sounds exactly where Armlock is meant to be.

Songs like “Ice Cold,” “Guardian” and “Fear” are hopeful, wondrous and brief—but they all ring in with flourishes of minimalist paradoxes. Album closer “Fair” is particularly somber, arriving fully as an acoustic ballad that juxtaposes with the ‘90s alternative-beckoning, gothic energy of “Ice Cold.” While Seashell Angel Lucky Charm’s title is almost longer than the album itself, it’s not a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it record. These songs, as brief as they come, are delicate, moody and precious. Armlock understood the assignment, and they’d rather make every second count than overstay their welcome.

Check out Armlock’s Influences playlist, which includes tracks from Adrianne Lenker, Sonic Youth and Alex G, below:

Yung Lean: “Agony”

Simon and I are both huge Yung Lean fans and to be honest I could’ve easily put down a lot of his catalogue. His influence is not strictly musical but in his approach, execution and presentation of his art. His albums are always so layered both sonically and visually. That kind of detail and world build is something we really tried to do on S.A.L.C. —Hamish

Wayne Shorter: “Night Dreamer”

I’m a piano player originally so naturally a huge Wayne fan and of this particular line up (McCoy Tyler, Elvin Jones, Reggie Workman). The modal diatonic harmony across this album and the album ‘Juju’ showcase how rich and seemingly complex sounding you can be within such a simple framework. Whilst it might seem like a strange or even pretentious reference a lot of the harmony on S.A.L.C. We play with pretty locked in tunings so it’s hard to move outside the key without it sounding kind of obtuse. So similarly the songs exist in a kind of vamp around a key centre and rely on a lot of extensions for interest. —Hamish

Grouper: “Headache”

It’s just perfect. Unfortunately, I struggle to articulate what makes something like this so amazing. Part of the appeal is how it sounds so seamless yet feels utterly effortless. You can intellectualise stuff down to the functional harmony, production etc and you still couldn’t replicate it. As far as its influence on the record, whatever this does as a piece of music/art is the gold standard and what I feel I’m always chasing. —Hamish

Helium: “Honeycomb”

The whole album is a real gem taken from the golden era of Matador Records. The production is great and there is no fat with every part is placed into a hierarchy that serves the song. That combined with the dryness of the record just further intensifies the focal point. I feel like that combination and Ethos is what we really try to do not just on S.A.L.C. but with Armlock as a project. —Hamish