8 is the debut album from El Hardwick — a climate fiction told in three mediums: music, photography and poetry. it is released on 33-33 on 20 november 2020 and can be bought on bandcamp here (or otherwise from a number of record stores worldwide, or streamed on most major streaming platforms).
The release is accompanied by a 40-page book, with each track on the album complemented by a photograph and poem written by Hardwick. The photographs, which are a celebration of ecology and sci-fi aesthetics, were taken in collaboration with fellow photographers Chrissie White, Clara Pathe and Justina Goldbeck. They were shot in 2018 amongst desert hoodoos carved by oceans millions of years ago, and a dying forest consisting of one of the world’s oldest living organisms.
Originally imagined as a graphic novel, the project began in 2016, inspired by the Marx quote: “History repeats itself, first as tragedy, the second as farce”. The last reserves of energy on earth are used by a social elite to give up their bodies, mass-upload their minds to a server, and migrate into cyberspace. With not enough bandwidth for everyone, those the algorithm deems less worthy are left behind on a resource-depleted earth to upkeep the servers; which a group of cyber-hackers attempts to destroy, before those in power declare war.
Structured to seemingly play as a loop; side A creates, whilst side B destroys. Each track has multiple voices and meanings, as one person’s idea of creation can be another’s destruction. 8 looks at how repeat good-vs-evil narratives are constructed by dominant, capitalist, colonial powers to suppress alternate imaginations outside of this perceived binary. The album is titled 8 not only because it visually represents infinity, but two infinite loops on top of each other: multiplicities, alternatives. We can be trapped in cycles of behaviour, but also look to ecology and non-linear conceptions of being.
The video for the album’s first single, Vanishing Point feat. Conrad Kira and Elliott Arndt, was created by French CGI artist and art director Sybil Montet and premiered on Boiler Room’s 4:3 platform. It captures the corrupted data of a social elite who give up their bodies and migrate to cyberspace to escape climate crisis; only to be destroyed by a super virus by those who were denied entry. The fractal-like poisonous flower reclaims the technological world, infinitely vanishing and re-emerging, as a reference to the album’s title — which visually represents an infinite feedback loop.
All tracks written and produced by El Hardwick, and recorded at home and at The Rising Sun. Guitar in ‘Poison of Planet’ by Cardinal Fang. Additional beats and production in ‘Vanishing Point’ by Conrad Kira. Flute in 'Vanishing Point' by Elliott Arndt. Additional synths and production in 'CTRL ALTernative Delete' by Sim Hutchins. Additional beats in 'Tidal' by MX World.
All tracks mixed by Dominic Clare at Declared Sound, apart from Avatar, Bitter Lake & Vanishing Point, which were mixed & feature additional programming by Marta Salogni for Solar Management Ltd. Mastering by Heba Kadry. Vinyl mastering by Noel Summerville.
Photography by El Hardwick, Chrissie White, Clara Pathe and Justina Goldbeck. Writing by El Hardwick. Design and layout by Samara Jundi. Art direction by Gareth Horner. Booklet printed by ExWhyZed on FSC approved paper. The reusable clear sleeve means that this vinyl is not wrapped in single use plastic.
El Hardwick gratefully acknowledges support from PRS for Music Foundation's Open Fund.