Four Tet’s glyph-named side project gets wider release
Kieran Hebden’s hard-to-search alias has a formal album release after drawing millions of streams, according to The Verge.
By Hana Yoshida · Markets Reporter
3 min read
Kieran Hebden, the electronic musician better known as Four Tet, has given a more formal release to a collection tied to an alias made up of unusual glyphs, The Verge’s Terrence O’Brien reported. The project matters for fans because music that had circulated under a hard-to-identify name is now available through Bandcamp and major streaming services.
O’Brien wrote that the artist name and album title are difficult to search for, pronounce or render consistently. The glyphs appear differently across YouTube Music, Apple Music and Bandcamp, according to The Verge, making the release unusually awkward to discuss or catalog.
For clarity, O’Brien referred to the artist as Four Tet and the album as Wingdings, while noting that the actual artist credit uses a string of symbols. The Verge identified the musician behind the alias as Hebden, who also releases music as KH.
A once-obscure alias moves into wider view
The Verge reported that Hebden had kept the glyph-based alias “somewhat of a secret” for years. O’Brien said the collection has since drawn millions of listens on services including Spotify, leading to the more formal release of wingdings.
Some material on the album had already appeared elsewhere, according to The Verge. O’Brien wrote that track five had been used by Fred Again during a Boiler Room set as “Feelings,” credited under Hebden’s KH alias.
The release is available on Bandcamp and on major streaming platforms including YouTube Music, Apple Music, Spotify, Deezer and Qobuz, according to The Verge. Bandcamp artwork credited to Kieran Hebden accompanied the review.
The sound leans toward Four Tet’s dance side
O’Brien described the album as closer to Four Tet’s more dance-focused work than to an odds-and-ends archive. Despite the project’s origins as a lower-profile outlet, The Verge said the tracks do not come across as leftovers.
The review pointed to Hebden’s sound design across the album, citing crushed 8-bit percussion, handpan patterns and sharp synth lines. O’Brien characterized the songs as polished, rhythmic and accessible without placing most of them in peak-time rave territory.
Several tracks received specific mention in The Verge’s assessment. Track two was described as more suited to a dance floor, built around a steady four-on-the-floor pulse, plucked arpeggios and house hi-hats. Track three was said to combine metallic, gamelan-inspired melodies with deep EDM bass sounds, while track eight was described as a softer ambient comedown.
O’Brien wrote that track seven builds through accumulating layers and textures toward a more ecstatic finish. He also said the opening track has a trip-hop quality that may fit home listening, writing or chores better than a club setting.
The Verge placed the album in its recurring “What we’re listening to, watching, and reading right now” coverage. O’Brien credited a subscriber in a listening thread for drawing his attention to the release.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.