These songs might seem just dreamy on first listen, with their meandering guitar lines and warm, woozy synthesisers, thor’s voice at turns a light falsetto and a warm tenor but his upcoming EP I’m Never Really Here handles material that’s sometimes heavy with a light touch. At times anxious and quietly anguished, tender and candid, these are songs about a growing-up, a breakup, and everything in between. There are traces of Darvid’s soul influences and undergrad jazz degree here, but most present are the wide array of indie and alternative acts that have been influencing his singing, playing, and production: catchy and understatedly complex, these songs both sparkle and stutter.

Darvid recorded I’m Never Really Here alone in his bedroom — but for some drum/percussion help from Cactus Channel bandmate Hudson Whitlock (Brenda) on lead single ‘Rest of Your Life’ and electronic drums from housemate Max Dowling (Yelderbert, Tetrahedra) on ‘overgrown’ — over the course of a year or so. Having spent most of his musical career as an integral member of The Cactus Channel and Frida, Thor saw a solo project as an exhilarating, if daunting opportunity to learn more about himself, as a musician and as a person.