'Vibrio', the debut release from Sydney producer SCAM, offers four
love songs written for bacteria and molecules. Examining geosmin,
luciferase, slime mold, mushrooms, THC, morphine and other
companions, the EP zooms in on human encounters with our
microscopic kin on Earth to explore the emotional terrain of interspecies
and inter-chemical intimacies. Sonically, 'Vibrio' injects OTT
emotionality and TMI sentimentality into robust and playful
rhythms. On EP opener 'Host' a floaty late-noughties RnB lead
winds around a TED Talk snippet declaring our collective status as
microbial hosts. 'Crumb', made with producer and vocalist Seayams,
contrasts the symbiotic beauty of bioluminescence with the
biopolitical strategies of anti-injection blue light. Another Seayams
collaboration - 'Tetra Crush' - narrativises the search for water and
longing for rain so fundamental to our species as assisted by our
long-term crush, geosmin (the bacteria that contributes to
petrichor: the smell of rain). 'QQ' closes with bouncy drums over
looping samples from a recording of the bio-electrical activity of
slime molds - essentially an invitation for slime molds to come out
on Friday. A rose-tinted trip through oft-overlooked intimacies
between us and our non-human collaborators in Life, 'Vibrio'
suggests that these entanglements are every bit as flirtatious,
devotional and co-dependent as our human relationships.