Ryefield Society - Disturbance

 Released: February 23

Despite being rather brief, Ryefield Society’s latest release is quite poignant. Consisting of mainly airy atmospheres and discrete beats, it captures a sense of introspection and wonder that is easy to find yourself enveloped in. The album opens with “The Fog At Our Door,” which ring things in somewhat tensely with a quickly repeating rhythm in the background that feels something like a lumbering engine as dense reverberating pads swirl around. This tension gets slightly broken when this beautiful sounding bell comes in to add that high elements the rest of the track was waiting for. 

The next two tracks bring in a much lighter tone with “Blue Turmoil” being especially light and airy. The rhythm here is fully fleshed out with quickly and soft plodding hits keeping a brisk feel. But there’s some neat little out of sync elements buried in the rhythm as well that make it feel just ever so loose, which plays quite well when we hear something the light saxophone riff join in. “Early Succession” may not have this playful saxophone but it keeps things light as well with a slightly slower tempo and some amazing rise and fall pads with just the right tough of overdrive on them. The final track is a remix of of the earlier “Blue Turmoil” by Michael It’z which stays relatively true to the original, but with a nicely revamped beat that draws more focus to itself. It’s still soft but with a tasteful little crunch now and keeps the vibes chill even with its slightly more aggressive approach. It al makes for a lovely, if not a bit short, introspective listening experience.