Scottish singer-songwriter Johnny Lynch, also known as Pictish Trail, has been writing, recording, and performing music that blends electronic and organic sounds for more than 20 years. On his new album, Life Slime, Lynch continues to mix and match sounds and moods in surprising and thoughtful ways.
Dualities abound throughout Life Slime: electronics burble throughout the album, but acoustic guitars are easy to find as well. The music is ethereal and airy, but song titles are mired in the earth: “Life Slime”, “Toxic Spillage”, “Infinity Ooze”, “Crystal Cave”. Many of the lyrics focus on loss, separation, failure, and human frailty, though rays of light and optimism do shine through.
Lynch sets the mood immediately with the deceptively ebullient “Hold It”. Over a catchy rhythm bed, Lynch sings the album’s opening lyrics: “Hold it / Well I can’t keep this moment / Still in front of me / I’ve fucked up again.” Later, Lynch admits, “Looky here, I’m frightened by how we complicate our lives.” It’s relatable.
In the midtempo title track, Lynch presents evidence of his existential crisis, noting, “It’s alright / I’m gonna die eventually / Just let me sigh.” He also admits, though, that “You were the only one / To haul my body through the mire.”
While Pictish Trail’s sound is distinctive, some moments might evoke the gentle ballads found on post-Syd Barrett/pre-Dark Side Pink Floyd albums. Thomas Dolby‘s gem of an album, The Flat Earth, feels like an appropriate reference point for Life Slime as well, particularly in its mix of electronic and organic sounds and the introspective lyrics found on both albums.
Life Slime never quite rocks out, but there is a bristling energy to “Battery Pack”, in which Lynch appears to be comparing a domestic situation to the titular power source. The song ends with Lynch singing dolefully, “Spilling out the juice / Now our family’s battery pack’s run flat.”
“Battery Pack” is followed by the album’s longest track, “Another Way”. Over the course of hypnotic eight minutes, Lynch engages in a conversation with a partner (or maybe with his own reflection in a mirror), looking for alternative solutions to their/his current dilemma. The swirling instrumental conclusion to “Another Way” could very well be the most compelling musical moment on Life Slime.
Johnny Lynch’s pop instincts are most evident on the bouncy “Sorry Eyes”, though the lyrics continue the recriminations found throughout the album. Nevertheless, “Sorry Eyes” is a toe tapper. While Pictish Trail is the vehicle for Johnny Lynch’s songwriting, credits throughout the album would indicate that fellow musicians/producers/engineers Mike Lindsay, Robert Jones, and Kristofer Harris were crucial in crafting the sound and ambiance of Life Slime.
Life Slime concludes on a hushed and spooky note with the enigmatic “Werewolf Ending”, which finds Lynch singing “Standing in the corner / Waiting for your turn to die.” So much for happy endings, though “Werewolf Ending” brings Life Slime to an appropriately mysterious conclusion as Lynch reports the final lyrics, “You are the ending of it all.” Like a walk through an old cemetery at twilight, Pictish Trail’s Life Slime is a dark but often lovely experience.