Written by Archie Sagers

Count Shaw is a Birmingham-based post-punk artist who creates witchy tunes from the comfort of their bedroom. Their latest single, “Noon Wytch,” begins with hushed distorted vocals and haunting guitar work reminiscent of Siouxsie Sioux. A pounding bassline builds until erratic drums catapult the track into the verse, releasing the tension with explosive distorted guitar.

Exploring gothic themes, Count Shaw warns the listener of the aforementioned “Noon Wytch” with apathy before shouting with vehement force, “It gets hungry in the evening,” plunging the listener into their gloomy world. The eerie English folk artwork that accompanies the track, created by Brandon Turner, perfectly encapsulates the Beowulf-esque horror of the song.

Count Shaw explained the inspiration for the track came about after playing a copious amount of The Witcher 3. They found the Noon Wraith, based on the Slavic myth of the Noonday Witch, or Lady Midday, to be particularly striking: writing the track after the lyric “It only comes out at noon” failed to leave their head.

Drawing inspiration from gothic post-punk, 90s metal, and bedroom pop, the track embraces its lo-fi production to create an uneasy and danceable song with a standout attitude. Count Shaw is a new artist to watch as they continue to release single after single of superb music. “Noon Wytch” will feature on an EP that the artist plans to release shortly.

For more Count Shaw, you can watch the video for “Doomsayer,” released this past February:

Archie Sagers is a musician and photographer living in Brighton (U.K.). He has also run the record label Crafting Room Recordings since 2019.