There’s a mystique in things that appear in threes. In Greek mythology it represents harmony, wisdom and understanding: for Pythagoras it’s the smallest number needed to create a pattern, the perfect combination of brevity and rhythm, while in literature there’s no story without a beginning, middle and end or past present and future. Summed up in the latin phrase omne trim perfectum, for Southampton based songwriter Ian Miles (Creeper) the perfect trio presents itself as Degradation Death Decay.

Inspired by performance art of the 70s and Halloween — taking cues from the visual legacies of Robert Rauschenberg and Serbian film maker Marina Abramovic while musically drawing on bands such as Conor Oberst, Leonard Cohen, R.E.M and The Cure — Miles’ debut album Degradation Death Decay is more art horror project than album. Layered with haunting vocals and a myriad of rhythmic textures, Miles sets out to explore one of nature’s most habitual cycles: our individual journeys through life, that life eventually coming to an end and acceptance, striving to give the listener full control over the art rather than focus on the inherently human force behind the mask.