Vermont new wave/synthpop/shoegaze artist Dutch Experts (aka Hannah Hoffman) has revealed her debut single “Morrígu“, taken from her forthcoming EP ‘Bound By This’.
Dutch Experts was born out of the Covid Pandemic from the ashes of Hoffman’s former dream-pop band, Dune Hunter. Faced with long-Covid symptoms and the crumbling of societal infrastructure, she turned one of her lowest and most challenging points into a revitalization of her approach to music.
Experimenting with layering synths and electronic drum beats, Hoffman created a sonic landscape that bore the fruits of Dutch Experts. This sonic approach served as an escape from the chaos while subsequently spawning the creation of her debut. The process became both an ego-shattering catharsis, a celebration of devoting oneself to the creative process, and an exploration of Hoffman’s capabilities as a songwriter.
Inspired by her personal challenges, in awe of the gothic landscape built by The Cure, and informed by melodic choices made by Kate Bush and Cocteau Twins, Hoffman locked into a sound that became uniquely modern yet captured an ’80s sonic sensibility: synth pop coupled with a darkwave edge. Undulating synths driven by chorus-laden bass as well as danceable drum beats, pair with Hoffman’s euphonious soprano, and pay homage to an aesthetic gone by.
Commenting on the track, Dutch experts explains:
Morrígu is about the Celtic Goddess of War and Death, the Morrígu, served as an icon for me in dark times: a shapeshifter who can predict the fate of warriors in battle, associated with life and death cycles. I felt like the Covid pandemic killed off a piece of me. It was in those lowest moments that I connected to the creation of this music and was able to find new life in its process.
Get it here and stream it below.
Dutch Experts’ debut EP ‘Bound By This‘ will be out on February 24.
