Art-school grad JW Ridley unveils frenzied lo-fi pop hymn “Somewhere Else”

Topping an 8-minute Dan Carey collaboration is a pretty hard task for any mere mortal. Fortunately, JW Ridley isn't the type of man or beast that exists within this physical dimension or any conceivable alternative universe where a gargantuan blood orange rules most of the civilised world and music has become a utility billed monthly for £9.99.

JW Ridley creates artistry from a celestial plane, one where the boundaries between tactility and the impalpable are marred in a relentless quest for a unique sonic experience. His latest offering “Somewhere Else” has the texture of a cloud, always just out of reach and inconceivable to touch but ultimately presents itself as this monolithic structure, immovable and very much present.

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This music is unsettling, but in the most beautiful way, like being in the midst of everyone you ever knew and loved at the same time but with the knowledge that their presence tampers with the basic laws of life and death.

On “Somewhere Else” profound melancholy ensues from beginning to end, an experience not often chased but hard to let go of once immersed. This is a triumphant ode to the wonderful feeling of not understanding but being totally content with that knowledge.