The Light Only Blinds is the brand-new EP by producer and composer Simon McCorry, released via the Herhalen imprint on 14th May 2020. Prolific to say the least, The Light Only Blinds follows Simon’s standalone singles Pieces of Mind released in April 2020 and The Nothing That Is released in February 2020. Simon’s most recent full-length album, Border Land, was released in June 2019 to rapturous critical acclaim.
As Simon was working on the material that went on to become the The Light Only Blinds EP, images of the surface of the Sun magnified greatly from an observatory in Hawaii started to come to mind. Composed on electronic mono synths, the three tracks relate loosely to themes in a Requiem Mass and are partly inspired by famed composer Ligeti’s Requiem & Atmosphères, as featured in the sci fi masterpiece 2001AD, A Space Odyssey. A mixture of claustrophobic tension and epic grandeur, Simon explains that “I see the three tracks as three meditations on the Sun as something sacred, an eternal light and a blessing”. As well as the influence of Ligeti, other musical touchstones that spring to mind include the minimal tones of Lancashire composer Richard Skelton, as well as the majestic electronic dronescapes of Stars of The Lid.
Originally born in London to mixed Indian/British heritage, McCorry trained in cello at The Centre for Young Musicians & Morley College then studied philosophy at Durham University. He is now based in Stroud, Gloucestershire. As a performer McCorry is well travelled, he has performed at many prestigious events and institutions including in Orlando Warrior with Julia Cheng at the South Bank as part of China Changing Festival 2017. In 2019 live highlights also included appearances at Stroud Jazz Festival and Camp Elsewhere in Wales alongside Alabaster dePlume and Snapped Ankles. McCorry has received critical acclaim for his previous releases from Mojo Magazine, The Quietus, Monolith Cocktail and radio play from luminaries such as Late Junction & Unclassified on BBC Radio 3 and Freak Zone on BBC 6Music.