Single Review: Gefahrgeist - Parasites

Gefahrgeist’s third single ‘Parasites’ continues their penchant for enchantingly blending soulful vocals and melodic synth. Returning after their soporific debut release Graceless last year, the Scottish electronic duo have now brought a lively but melancholy angle into the equation, and it may well prove to a winning thread for the pair going forward.

Kicked off by Niall Rae’s pulsing 80s electronica-style opener, ‘Parasites’ soon gives way to the sooting and earthy voice of Fiona Liddell, and, from that point on, the duo sound like they are entirely at one. Lyrically ‘Parasites’ have managed to evoke one of the more troubling emotions of a society battered by multiple lockdowns.

That initial promise of a deeper and more contemplative world early last year, slowly thwarted by the sheer length of struggle, and the intangible things sacrificed as a consequence of constraints on our liberty.

As all of music waits with trepidation to return to action this summer, ‘Parasites’ somehow manages to tap into the cultural shift that now stands ahead of us, driven by variables well out of our control. It’s well worth a listen, and well worth the high praise already bestowed on it by the Scottish press.

Words: Callum Cyrus