competition is the music making moniker of craig pollard. based in newcastle (uk), craig makes experimental pop music that plays with sparseness and vulnerability, pitched down samples and orchestral programming, crafting songs that build hooks from within their limited materials.
competition has performed across the UK with artists like ana roxanne, julia reidy, caroline, rattle and porridge radio, and regularly organises music and art events for artists passing through newcastle. he publishes writing on music and art making, with a collection of writing on glasgow’s tgigitffy, and hosts a monthly radio show on slack’s. previous competition releases include hell yeah (bleak spring), three songs (oob), repetititive music and you turned into a painting (slip).
the video for ‘old world’ is made by jamie hammill. an anachronistic still life in which digitally rendered leftovers from the past are folded in on themselves. both the song and video think about the idea of collapsing time; partly as a way of scrutinising 20th century narratives about “newness” and its value, partly as a way to think about memory, uncertainty and affect. sad and reflective, patient and intimate, ‘look me up, old world’ pulls further on the threads that weave through previous competition releases.
upcoming shows:
06.03.23: Newcastle - The Cluny w No Age
09.03.23: Newcastle - The Lubber Fiend w Max Syedtollan
credits
released March 3, 2023
songs by competition
mastered by phil begg
digital art / cassette case font by jamie hammill
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