With a rather nice digipack CD forwarded to me through the post I was intrigued by the description afforded this Swedish band whose second album is already out and available on all platforms including the resurgent vinyl format. Post rock or post metal or shoe gaze call it what you will this, Swedish act has creativity built into their genome as this second album begins with a rather sombre piano piece with effects called “There’s Blood On Your Hands”. As the tune gradually and eerily develops other aspects of instrumentation are introduced seamlessly and before you know it the four minutes of this intro like piece of music have passed and we hit “Infants” clocking nine minutes that resonates with the likes of latter day Anathema material. Whilst post rock is my general tag for this band it would be a great disservice to say it would only appeal to those fans as the moment the haunting vocals by Jakob start it would appeal to any art rock fan including fans of the said latter day Anathema music. The tune is delicate, fragile even as the percussive elements are gently played in the song but creating a grey scale sonic canvas as female vocals join and splice with the male vocals very tenderly. There is a lingering ethos of despondency on this album, a palpable sadness that permeates tearfully and even when you get a more post metal juncture the atmosphere is still morose.
The shorter “The Nurse” again revels in a sorrowful mood where subtle guitar inflections are peppered onto the sublime melodies and leads neatly into “Incarceration” a far deeper sound yet still unhurried in tempo. The duration of the songs fluctuates wildly as the shorter components seem to act as interludes to the longer tunes and it works well as the doleful piano of “Years” demonstrates that as it then leads into the title track and a tapping snare with guitar hook start it off. Here I can hint that the band has some latter day Katatonia tenets due to the emotional guitar work that drifts along in the song very much like in a catatonic state so to speak. The epic, in duration and its title, “These Depths Were Always Meant For Both Of Us” surpasses the ten minute barrier and as before begins with gently played guitar setting the scene for the heart wrenching aura the music possesses. Like silken threads the music draws on fibres of sentiment each clinging to the other via the instrumentation to create a web of pristine poignancy that is totally immersive. Bands of this ilk offer music that is able to pluck severely at the heart strings like the softer moments of The Ocean, The Program, Agalloch (at times), Her Name Is Calla and even Sólstafir to name a few outfits you may recognise.
A staunchly emotive album from this Swedish band, it will leave you bereft yet yearning for more such is the bands ability to write unassumingly riveting songs.
(8.5/10 Martin Harris)
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