Desire Machines take an unconventional route through poetry, pop and psychedelia on Searching for the Soul of Marianne Moore, a new single built around a surreal quest for the American poet. Rather than approaching its literary inspiration with reverence alone, the track moves through a strange sequence of images involving stolen Martian gin, Andy Warhol’s 1974 New York and a laser-eyed eagle.
The result is a song that balances unusual storytelling with a persistent rhythmic drive. Motorik bass lines, shimmering guitars and electronic textures give the track forward momentum, while Kianna Blue’s vocals anchor its shifting imagery. The arrangement draws on the cinematic sensibilities associated with David Bowie, Roxy Music and Brian Eno without abandoning a direct pop instinct.
The single also brings together musicians whose histories span different eras of alternative music. Guitarist Kevin Armstrong and the late bassist Matthew Seligman, both members of David Bowie’s Live Aid band, contribute alongside Mark Headley on guitars, synthesizers and effects. Brighton-based drummer ELLiS·D completes the lineup, adding another perspective to the collective’s layered sound.
Desire Machines produced the recordings, with mixing by Dave Pemberton and the band, and mastering by Christian Wright at Abbey Road. The combination of experienced musicians and a changing international lineup reflects the group’s interest in bringing different musical backgrounds into a shared creative space.
Searching for the Soul of Marianne Moore forms one half of a double A-side seven-inch vinyl release, paired with Astronauts, a more atmospheric track scheduled for digital release on November 2. The songs occupy contrasting sonic worlds, but both reflect the collective’s willingness to move between styles rather than settle into a single musical identity.
That approach is central to Desire Machines, whose members work across London, Brighton, Amsterdam and Berlin. With dream pop, art rock, psychedelia and electronic experimentation all part of their vocabulary, the group treats collaboration as an opportunity to combine different sensibilities rather than smooth out their differences.
On Searching for the Soul of Marianne Moore, the result is playful, restless and deliberately strange. Its literary reference provides a starting point rather than a fixed explanation, allowing the music to move between the familiar structures of pop and the unpredictable imagery of a psychedelic journey.