Formed in 2022 after their ground floor flat started subsiding into the earth, Own World is the new musical project of Joe Sigee (vocals; guitar) and Matthew Lawrenson (synths; bv’s) — who were joined by Alex Bailey (bass) and Holly Hardy (drums) after relocating their living room to an industrial estate in Tottenham.

There, in a bright orange studio surrounded by kebab meat factories and church gospel choirs, the four-piece (which includes two members of R&S Records alumni Vondelpark in Lawrenson and Bailey) decided to make good after a few years of cloistered experimenting and tentative release plans.

Subsisting on a diet of XTC, Arthur Russell and YMO, the band invested in a panoply of analog synthesisers ahead of a series of escapes to a mountainside cottage in Wales. There, they filled endless hard drives with all kinds of idiosyncratic music. They finally decided to take stock of their hazy and nostalgic creations,
recording a wealth of tunes back in London — later to be mixed by Domino artist and producer Wilma Archer, and pioneering electronic artist Lxury.

‘SIMULATE’ is their second release after featuring on Slow Dance Records’ 2023 compilation with ‘In Style’. ‘SIMULATE’ is a dusky and mysterious track fuelled by stuttering percussion, lurching bass and a cosmic synth melody. Embellished by the melodic inflections of Sigee’s trance-like vocals, and opiated by a layer of glistening harmonies, the track harks back to ‘90s trip-hop and ‘00s dream pop while also pointing towards something altogether more unique.