Lay Llamas - Thuban |

Four years on from Lay Llamas’ Rocket Recordings debut Østro, this Italian-based astral-voyaging collective, led by Nicola Giunta - have manifested a revelatory official follow-up in the form of Thuban - a travelogue powered by a pan-global fascination with rhythmic hypnosis and an unquenchable experimental mindset. Dwelling in the night sky of the Northern hemisphere, Thuban was the star closest to the North pole from the fourth to the second millennium BC. For Giunta. this mysterious stellar icon offers pause for thought. “A polar star is something that drives the travellers towards a safe place. But in the age we’re living now it seems hard to recognise a polar star.” Indeed, his mission has been as much one of discovery for himself and listener alike “Everything around us is transforming, always! You know, I’m not a proper songwriter, I consider myself a sound crafter. An experimental alchemist of sounds and visions” True to form, Thuban maps out terrain in which collaborators from Clinic and Goat contribute to the air of earthy vibrancy and fertile exploration. Mark Stewart of The Pop Group’s spoken-word contributions to the searing ‘Fight Fire With Fire’ (styled by Nicola as ‘dystopian afrobeat’) steers the album to new pinnacles of intensity informed by science fiction yet with explicitly political force “Thuban talks about ancient sea travels, ancient cultures, ancient rites, but also about today’s travellers, travellers from all ages” Nicola surmises “Travellers that are still looking for their Thuban, for their polar star to reach a safe place to live with their family.”