rabbitsquirrel - the only way out is strewn

 Released: August 24 

In what appears to be the first release from rabbitsquirrel in over a decade, we are taken on a subtly noisy trip though a variety of strange textures and scenes. And, while I earnestly say noisy, the sounds collected here are much more refined and finespun than you may expect. Small gurgling textures meld with softly crafted to synth tones to create an atmosphere that feels conflicted and harmonious in equal measures. Some tracks feel more on the harmonious side while others have a bit more chaotic energy. “We settle for patterns dappled on the ground” takes a more chaotic approach with heavier distortion in the tonal elements and percussive bits that feel randomized and more unrefined. The follow-up track, “Sun Scorched and Fancy Free,” continues on this track with percussion that takes a wonky turn with a reversed feeling, as if it repeatedly builds only to crash back down in an undignified manner, which honestly makes it one of my favorite tracks as it maintains this unbalanced feeling for a much of its runtime. 

It’s only with the last two tracks, which are both the longest of the album, that it feels as though we slip back into fully ambient territory. “Overwhelmed with the decaying totality of memory” is built upon some long tones that produce something that feels like an elegy. Notes that hold out for prolonged measure amidst a droning backdrop that rarely changes, making for something that is inevitable haunting. The final track, “Serving host for something fully anew,” keeps with this haunting theme and reinserts the noise. Those long haunting tones are now inflected with digitized distortions that sound like a broken and decaying signal. Like the small haunting beauty has been cracked and reconstructed only to be rebroadcast back at the listener. 

Overall, it’s a quiet little album that rages in a composed manner. It never feels angry, but exudes some kind of strange remorse or loss. I’m not sure what exactly it is all getting at, but it is certainly worth a quiet listen with a good pair of headphones as you reflect on your own memories.