Kh3rtis - Intervoidal I

 

Released: February 14

The first in a three-part series from Kh3rtis, Intervoidal I is a rather relaxed and somewhat psychedelic EP that incorporates the airy guitars, synths, and crisp percussion that Kh3rtis has made a mainstay of his work. It's all very chill through most of the runtime, with specific and periodic moments where things feel a bit more kaleidoscopic than usual. The intricate mixing on this album is what really makes things work for the theme -  all of the guitars and synths feel so wide and spacious, giving this impression that the environments created are vast and wide-reaching.  This has been something present in much of Kh3rtis' work before but here it feels as though the space has been magnified considerably. 

Starting out with "Habitual Loops," we start out with a verb-y but focused guitar that soon becomes this swirling element that rotates slowly around us as the rest of the song begins to come in. Even the percussion section seems to have this encompassing multi-dimensional vibe to it. Then comes "Loose Sails," which does a bit of teasing in it's arrangement. From early in the album, you can hear the faintest bit of a beat in the background, just barely perceptible at first. But rather than just slowly grow louder straight through, it disappears almost completely for a couple of minutes, until returning suddenly with a fantastic swoosh. For the final track, Kh3rtis is joined by Ivoryhaus to bring us back to a similar vibe as we started with at first. "Temperance" features a prominent and swung beat that provides a perfect backing for the guitar and synth psychedelia that moves effortlessly around it. The pads are lush and slowly evolving and that verb-y but focused guitar tone returns to add that nice little spice. This is definitely something great to have playing as you, erm, "partake."