Lost Horizons have shared a a new single with Ural Thomas titled “In Quiet Moments.” The single comes from Lost Horizons’ double album of the same name, with part 1 having been released this past December, while part 2 is expected to be released on February 26.
“Sometimes you just have a clear vision for a song and then try as you might, it doesn’t quite hit the mark and other times, you’re not quite sure where it’s going and then all of a sudden it’s like The Matrix and you’re buzzing!” Simon Raymonde of Lost Horizons said in a press statement. “I’d been talking to Ural and his team since I heard about him earlier this year, and they were all working on a new Ural Thomas and The Pain album, but as I finished the bass part on our piece, which Richie had started at a session in London, my inner voice was screaming ‘ASK URAL TO SING!'”
The track begins with soft reverbs of the bass, the piano keys overlayed. Thomas’ crisp vocals soon make their entrance, his smooth voice flowing through the track. The quiet bass hums through the track, each instrument sharp underneath Thomas’ vocals. Hums weave through the song, building through the length of the track as a guitar takes on its solo.
“After he was done with the first half of the song I asked if he could make the ending spoken-word in the style of Gil Scott Heron and he did something ad-libbed which I loved,” Raymonde said in a press statement “I then asked Wendi Rose who sings with Spiritualized to add some of her beautiful vocals and I think this took it all to the next level. Paul Gregory and Jonathan Wilson also played some delicious guitar parts which were etc fairy dust on top!”
Thomas begins to speak during the second half of the song, backup vocals sparking around him as the instrumentals take on a slightly more eclectic tone. “I’m wondering what the day’s gonna bring/And I wonder if you feel the same/Yeah/Have you had that experience?/And you know I wonder, if there’s a real meaning for everyone, or am I just living a moment of wonderment?” Thomas says, asking if others feel the same like he does, backing vocals repeating his question and humming around his spoken word.
“When I first heard the song, I thought it was such a wonderful thing, both open and calm, with that steady, insistent groove,” Thomas said in a press statement. “The chords go from looming to embracing then back again, like a sad, friendly giant. It took a quiet moment to go over it in my mind and then we were off and running with the tune. At times I feel strong and one with the world. At other times I feel tiny and solitary. In a way they’re two parts of the same feeling. That sense of being closed in and defined by walls became more real just a short while after we worked on the song. But we’re all those other things, too—connected, hopeful, with a long arc that will go beyond this time.”
Along with the song came an accompanying music video which features Thomas performing in black and white imagery in his music studio. The screen is split with shining clouds and fallen leaves. A park is soon displayed, creating peaceful images to match the soothing song.
Lost Horizons Released In Quiet Moments, Part 1 back in December, with the album supported by the singles “Every Beat That Passed” featuring Kavi Kwai and “Cordelia” featuring John Grant. The double-album had first been announced in October, and includes contributions from Marissa Nadler, Porridge Radio, Penelope Isles and many more. In Quiet Moments follows Lost Horizons’ 2017 album Ojalá.