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Dec 11, 2023 By Caleb Campbell

Novelty Island is the psych pop solo project of Liverpool-based musician Tom McConnell. McConnell debuted in 2021 with his first LP, How Are You Coping With This Century, and followed this year with his sophomore record, Wallsend Weekend Television. Early next year, he’s following with a new eight-track EP, Taped Over, envisioned as a single suite of music inspired by medleys from classic records like Kate Bush’s Hounds of Love or The Beatles’ Abbey Road.

As McConnell describes,“Taped Over acts like a sort-of time capsule preserving sounds and scenes that I don’t want to forget.” The EP crafts a dreamy and nostalgic mood, with psychedelic layers of synths playing amongst the sounds of vintage computers, cassettes, and cartoon soundtracks.

Today, along with news of the EP, McConnell is sharing the record’s lead single, “1102.”

Initially, “1102” sways with a gentle Beatles-esque charm, complete with winsome melodies and twinkling keys, but the track quickly pivots into a darker electronic soundscape partway through, with McConnell’s distant vocals intoning “I am not here / You are not here / We are not here.” The track switches instantly between these moods throughout the track, blending them together with each turn until the track itself transforms into a labyrinthian psych pop haze by its end.

McConnell says of the track, “’1102’ portrays how one day in your childhood can ripple through your entire life and imagines an alternate timeline of life if that day never came…”

Check out the song below, along with the accompanying video. The Taped Over EP is due out on February 2nd via Nine x Nine Records.