Jesse Force - Like Waves Crashing

 Released: July 30

For his first proper album of 2026 and the first in some years before that, experimental composer Jesse Force returns with the four track Like Waves Crashing. Now, the title gives some indication of the theme, but isn’t quite to be taken literally. What we actually get here is more like the aesthetic of waves portrayed by an exam done selection of collaged sounds. The opening track and longest of the album, “Soaking Wet” established this theme early on as we hear gentle environmental sounds to include indistinct voices, honks honking in the distance, birds chirping, and gentle clinks and rattles. But as this goes on, a foreign sound enters - a tearing and uncomfortable noise that comes in to break the tranquility with force. It waxes and wanes, growing in intensity and then receding, really solidifying the aesthetic of a wave crashing onto shore as this noise seems to crash into the normal doldrums of life. 

Outside of this affinity for surging noise, some other tracks seem to practice this motif with a bit more subtlety. “Heaving” takes things in a rather ambient direction at first, with barely perceptible atmospherics and gently wavering pads. Everything feels rather subdued, calm even. It is near the end of this track that we are then reintroduced t that tearing harsh noise that builds up like a wave until cresting into crescendo that sees the noise break apart in a surprisingly gentle manner as things fade to the end. “Somatic Recovery” finishes this album off gently with the peak of noise coming in the middle of the track, gently coming to a head and then fading away quickly to bring us back to the gentle swirling tones that began the track. 

The album maintains a sense of intense motion, even during the quieter parts. Nothing ever sits still. It has this constant churn to it that belies a sense of tranquility while keeping that sense of intensity. Rather poetic considering the title and the sort-of misdirection it pushes throughout.