Montreal duo Majical Cloudz have been working hard this past year. After releasing their debut LP Impersonator on Matador, the pair of singer Devon Welsh and Matthew Otto Kolaitis have toured across the US, sharing their heart-wrenching, pulsating songs of love and loss.

They’ve finally recorded a previously a new song, one they’ve developed through the past year of live performances. ‘Savage’ sees the pair further pursing the stark poignant feel of their album. Starting with a only a short, repeating piano melody, the track gradually rises, buoyed by an increasingly present swelling of bass and reverb. With the barest of instrumentation, Walsh’s direct, disarming spoken-singing takes center stage. Lyrics describe the decline of a dependant, disfunctional relationship marred by mind altering chemicals, delivered in snapshots of plain language that cut straight to the heart of the matter. The surges of bass combine with the sorrow of Walsh’s singing to create an overwhelming effect that reveals subtle layers of meaning with repeated listens. The effect is extremely cathartic. We look forward to more from this prodigious, singular duo in the coming year, and be sure to catch their emotionally arresting live performance, when you next get the chance.