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Mar 04, 2021 By Caleb Campbell Photography by Kat Day

As one half of the British coldwave/shoegaze duo The KVB, Nicholas Woods’ creative focus was on minimalist electronics and chilly atmospherics. With his solo work as Saccades, Woods trades those styles in for warm psych guitars, breezy synths, and welcoming energy. Woods first debuted as Saccades back in 2017 with his eponymous full-length album, but he has since returned with another solo effort, Flowing Fades, and his first single from the project, “Islands Past.” Now Woods has shared his latest single, “Heat,” premiering with Under the Radar.

“Heat” is the perfect song to welcome in the warmer months, meeting killer dance beats and bouncing synths with melting honeyed vocals. Skittering percussion runs over the thick rhythms, while psych guitar-led instrumental breaks hint at trippy melodies. It’s an immersive track, drawing the listener into the sweat-drenched heat of a rave as viewed through the dense haze of memory. In this psychedelic reverie, Saccades finds a fascinating middle ground between soothing languid melodies and irresistible dance rhythms.

Woods says of the song, “Influenced by a mixture of early house music and yacht rock, I wrote ‘Heat’ during the sweltering nights of last summer in the stuffy flat that I was living and working in at the time. It’s a song about missing playing live shows and touring, the buzz of the crowd, and the connections that are made at gigs and on the road. For the last few years I have been constantly on tour or traveling away for shows and it’s definitely something I took for granted, now that it’s not possible.”

On the accompanying DIY video he continues, “Following on from the themes in the lyrics and the energy of this track, I created the visuals as a tribute to the unknown raver. I made it using found footage and a Tachyons+ Psychenizer video synth.” Check out the song and video below and watch for Flowing Fades, out April 9th via Fuzz Club Records.