CD copy of 'Good Sleep', this physical edition available only here direct from the band. All-card mini gatefold sleeve, pink and lovely. Art and design by John Harries.

Released July 31st, 2023.

The digital album is available from Scatter Archive at scatterarchive.bandcamp.com

Cal Cashin for 'Loud and Quiet':

"A folk record from a totally other place... 'Good Sleep' is a patient and spacious work... It's a cryptic album; one that simultaneously evokes lonely cityscapes and dense countryside landscapes with its wilting and swirling soundscapes, and one that rewards repeat listens...

An excellent LP that crash-lands in the uncanny valley; a dark ambient album with a full band, or perhaps a post-punk record that's been lost in the woods for so goddamn long it's forgotten its own name. The album is a real mystery, one that's definitely worth unravelling."

Peter Hollo, 'Utility Fog':

"The band create pieces through improvisation, field recording and embracing of chance, and are gleefully scornful of structural norms... This is post-music in the best way."

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A good sleep.

The big bedroom, Rhoscolyn, Anglesey, summer of 2019.

A long drive, work worries trailing along behind us most of the way (neck of the bass guitar out of the window of Jamie’s car in front helps, though). Then mostly sunlight, dust hanging in sunlight, birds swooping and singing and sheep ambling in sunlight, a small world of house and garden, high banked paths with wild flowers like around Carnowen, beach and sea in sunlight. Going for chilly swims, playing cards and cooking and eating together, and the music seeming to come relatively easily mostly, though we got stuck sometimes and not all of it made sense when listened back to afterwards. Sleeping pretty well in fact, reading, being on holiday. Shortly afterwards pandemic and lockdowns and lots of new uncertainties, but none of that remotely imagined then.

These recordings have been sitting waiting for a few years, and it’s hard not to hear them as something of a time capsule now. As was usual for us, all pieces were substantially improvised, all of us in the room together with Sean recording and feeding us ideas and helping us work things through; and we generally didn’t try to re-play the emergent ideas or structures more than once. No rules really though. Sometimes we’d pre-record a part and then work to that. Sometimes we went out to look for sounds outside. Some elements were overdubbed, either at the time or later, back at home - because Klaemint wasn’t able to be with us in Wales, or just because they needed a little more thinking about.

On this occasion, Rutger Hauser were:
Lisa Busby
Jamie Coe
Rose Dagul
John Harries
Jon Klaemint Hofgaard

Recorded by Sean Woodlock.

Written and performed by Rutger Hauser, except track 6 by Rutger Hauser and Benji Jeffrey, using elements of ‘Nymanesque’ by Benji Jeffrey, performed by Benji Jeffrey, Penny Klein, Mel Powell and Rose Dagul.

Mixed and mastered by John Harries, at home (London and Dunure) 2019-2022.
Artwork by John Harries.

Released July 2023 by ScatterArchive, with thanks to Liam Stefani.