SICKY is the solo project of Mick Butler (formerly of SUMO and Papa Mantra), originally from the Black Country and now based in Bridgnorth, Shropshire. His new single Mort is out today (20 October) on Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp, and it's the second single from his fourth album Redland, following Bubblegum Party.
Mort takes its name and story from Terry Pratchett's Discworld novel of the same name, where Death hires an apprentice so he can go off and experience human life for himself. In the video, Death – played by Lily – gets on with the mundane business of living, including a trip to the supermarket with a scythe in tow, which Butler says "turned a few heads" when they filmed it in his hometown.
A Discworld tribute with a miniature Grim Reaper on a supermarket run is exactly the kind of daft, specific idea I want to back, and doing it on his fourth album under his own steam says a lot about how much he still enjoys making this stuff.
Butler recorded, mixed and produced Mort himself in Shropshire – his first attempt at recording on a newly bought piano, with, in his own words, "a certain amount of pointing a mic and hoping for the best." It was mastered by Streaky Mastering, with cover art by Robin Firth and photos by Helen Marshall.
Redland is billed as a darker record than SICKY's past albums, built around friends lost along the way, and is out on 20 November with Mort and Bubblegum Party as the first two singles.
Watch the video on YouTube: https://youtu.be/FiEadHi4IRs. Mort is out now on Spotify, Apple Music and Bandcamp (https://sicky2.bandcamp.com), with Redland up for pre-order ahead of its 20 November release.