After an uncharacteristically long delay, Emeralds have only just dropped recent LP Just To Feel Anything – but that hasn’t stopped Mark McGuire from churning out a new EP.

The Surrogate Channels EP isn’t the Emeralds’ axeman’s first solo release of the year: that honour goes to Wagon’s super-limited edition Nightshade LP. The three-track collection, clocked by The Fader, was recorded earlier this year at McGuire’s former HQ in Portland. It’s a lovely set, featuring McGuire layering his trademark guitar extemporisations over lucent synth washes.

The accompanying blurb gives some insight into the thinking behind each track. Lead track ‘Morning, and the Gold Coast’ takes its cue from the “beautiful beaches of Australia”, whereas the comparatively “stressed-out” title jam was pulled together with minimal kit in June. The closing track sees McGuire dabbling in numerology, exploring the “numbers, dates and symbols that have cycled around my life”.*

Click below to stream. Alternatively, check out McGuire’s recent remix of Brooklyn shapeshifters Prince Rama. 

* – if you’re curious, those numbers are: 5, 13, 21, 29, 37, 45, 53, 7, 15, 3, 4, 5, 1, 8, 7, 7, 26