August 3, 2023 by A.S. Van Dorston

Instrumental prog punk/post-rockers introduce vocals and expand their palate on their addictively accessible fourth album.

Since 2010, this London instrumental four-piece have been hard to nail down, as their diverse influences cover a lot of ground, from cosmic space jams and sprawling post-rock to Frippian prog punk through their first three full-lengths and numerous EPs. It felt like just yesterday when I was marveling over The Euphoric (2018), which impressed me in a similar vein of The Messthetics minus the jazz-rock aspect. The promise that their fourth album would include vocals from bassist/keyboardist Kevin Feazey added a good amount of intrigue. What would the band metamorphize into? Something along the recent project by The Smile? Heavier prog metal? Eclectic art rock like Steven Wilson’s (Porcupine Tree) solo albums? While the new album could appeal to fans of those artists, this is something else entirely.

In the beginning of “The Start,” Feazey’s vocal timbre brings to mind prime Peter Gabriel. By the end of the track, however, I’m reminded of the climactic, highly layered bursts of ecstasy Mercury Rev were known for. This continues the band’s pattern of eclectic approaches, each song presenting a different sound design. “Shake the Jar” evokes the chugging, heavy psych prog of prime Motorpsycho and Amplifier. “Golden Thread” throws down some even heavier riffs and distorted bass and guitar, in stark contrast to the sparkling pop of “Photogenic Love.” It could vaguely remind one of late 80s prog pop or the art/psych alt rock of Super Furry Animals, but the sticky melody of the chorus is supported by a bed of crunchy guitar. The distorted bass intro and layered, processed vocals of “Wonderful” remind me the The Klaxons’ “Gravity’s Rainbow” in the best possible way. The run of highlights peaks with the slower paced “Non Player” with a masterful use of space and a haunting descending guitar lick that would earn admiration from Jonny Greenwood.

“What a Time to Be Alive” is largely instrumental, but keeps the album’s momentum flowing, leading into the closing track, the moody “Nostalgia Now,” where the versatile Feazey now recalls the mournful croon of Elbow’s Guy Garvey. This is no ballad, however, as it wraps up with some seriously doomy minor key chords. This is a really promising new direction that should bear much more colorful fruits in the future.

RIYL: Amplifier, Motorpsycho, Steven Wilson, The Messthetics, The Smile.

This was one of my most anticipated albums this summer so far that I pre-ordered before hearing a note. These are coming up in the next few months.

Anticipated Albums

Spirit Adrift – Ghost at the Gallows (Century Media) 8/18
Baroness – Stone (Abraxan Hymns) 9/15
Graveyard – 6 (Nuclear Blast) 9/29
Maggot Heart – Hunger (Svart/Rapid Eye) 9/29
Restless Spirit – Afterimage (Magnetic Eye) 10/6
Vanishing Kids – Miracle of Death (Aural Music) 10/13
Spidergawd – VII (Crispin Glover) 11/10