The range of moods and styles expressed on BIND‘s nine tracks is impressive, as each represents a distinct direction and set of influences but manage a consistent voice that’s uniquely Darkswoon. Equally suited for late night headphone sessions and dancing in the fog-drenched environs of your local goth club.
Portland, Oregon’s Darkswoon new release on Icy Cold Records represents a significant step forward for their sound. Though bandleader Jana Cushman been making emotive, electronic-tinged shoegaze for several years, earlier releases like 2016’s Silhouettes EP were primarily solo endeavors. The addition of Rachel Ellis on electronics and Andrew Michael Potter on bass has sparked more complex instrumentation for both their live show and the new record BIND. Cushman is still the primary songwriter, and when asked about the changes in the sound since the earlier Darkswoon releases, she said “Andrew’s bass chops really add to the new sound. And Rachel’s skills on the keys and being able to do more with the electronic hardware have opened up possibilities for me as a songwriter. I didn’t feel limited because I knew my bandmates were capable. I also moved away from composing on Ableton Live and decided to use all live hardware.”
The album leads off with the first single, “Red Ferrari,” opening with a propulsive kick/snare pattern and a chorused guitar line. “I hear your voice / in my head at times / in my dreams you call me / on a landline,” Cushman opens with a soft voice that matches the oneiric lyrics. As the song builds, that softness turns to a soaring, exhibiting an impressive range and emotional expressiveness. “This Flesh” has a more experimental electronic vibe, with Potter’s fuzzed-out bass providing a backbone for Ellis build on with layers of arpeggiated synths.
Next up is “Human Faults,” a mostly-instrumental track which will appeal to fans of the resurgent minimal/coldwave sound of acts like Adult., Cold Cave, and Boy Harsher. Shifting moods yet again, “Emoto” slows the tempo down and plays off the interaction between Cushman’s effected guitar, an ominous bass figure from Potter, and a heavy tremolo on Ellis’ synths. Cushman intones, “I am speaking to you from underwater,” completing the vibe. There’s a sudden shift on the back half of the song with a very neat swirling, reversed sound on the vocals and an uplifting guitar line, as if we’re surfacing from the bathyspheric depths. The production effort here was intense and exhausting, Cushman said. “In the studio, I wanted to go for a wall of sound production and my engineer shared this view. He recorded my vocals in such a way I actually lost my voice trying to track enough layers.”
“Animal” provides a gentle-yet-menacing interlude with Cushman half-whispering about sharp teeth, being controlled by fear, trapped in a cell. The gorgeous interplay between vocals, bass, guitar, programmed drums, and synths is fully realized on this track, entrancing and lulling the listener—just to set you up for the mechanized assault of “Fireplace,” by far the hardest-hitting track on the album. Clanging industrial percussion, distortion, and vintage synth sounds underpin Cushman’s impassioned vocal performance. “Parting Embrace” provides a nostalgic throwback to the classic era of 4AD bands like Cocteau Twins and This Mortal Coil with spacious guitars and delayed, ambient percussive line.
Which leads us to the album’s epic closer, “Love is a Warm Dark Cave.” Clocking it at just over nine minutes, this is both an extension of all that’s come before it and a bit of a departure. A solitary kick drum provides a heartbeat as Cushman sings of loss: “Don’t you think I know / I’ve lost some things that made you love me … the drying of passion / and how ordinary everything really is.” But midway through, the beat shifts to a double-time groove and we’re treated to an extended instrumental workout in Darkswoon style. Analogue synths bleep, swirl, and mutate; the bass line locks into the drums; Cushman’s guitar repeats a rising refrain until chaos overtakes it and winds down, leaving us hungry for more.
The range of moods and styles expressed on BIND‘s eight tracks is impressive, as each represents a distinct direction and set of influences but manage a consistent voice that’s uniquely Darkswoon. Equally suited for late night headphone sessions and dancing in the fog-drenched environs of your local goth club.
BIND is available on Icy Cold.
