Barrens – Penumbra LP (Pelagic Records)

Barrens have tie connections with Scraps Of Tape, the band that produces incredible recordings for more than two decades. Besides sharing two band members, Barrens includes the third member who’s skilled enough to contribute to this distinctive newcomer. There are certain sonic similarities between these two bands, but Barrens provide more synth aesthetics equally polarized with brilliant guitar works. Both instruments vividly illustrate broader musical imagery decorated by a comprehensive collection of various wonderments. For those who are not familiar with the incredible orchestrations by these experienced musicians, Barrens are entirely relying upon foundations of perfectly executed post-rock music accompanied by melancholic guitar arpeggios, saddened synths, and precise drumming segments. The trio solely focuses on the melancholic atmospherics, subtle drone backgrounds, and hatful of rhythmical maneuvers supported by crispy sounding cymbals. The complete band surrenders even more polyphonic clusters as the album reaches multiple crescendos throughout thoughtfully structured compositions. These crescendos have been backed by graciously distorted guitar shreddings, cleverly arranged to accommodate certain moods. The song thematics and arrangements differ from the type of moods Barrens tried to achieve, so opening composition Antumbra bursts with a calmy ambiance that leads to Atomos, while the Oracle Bones shine with blackened doom metal aesthetics through almost complete number. Grail Maker returns with more synthy atmospherics, while Arc Eye liberates classic post-rock instrumentations. Shifter gradually shape-shifts the sound of Barrens to more electro/industrial/goth sounding post-rock but also gives more space for creative expression showcased through numbers such as Penumbra, The Passing, and Umbra. Barrens conceptualized the entire album under the post-rock branch, but their music reaches more than just one simplified polyphonous formation. Melancholic themes are the only constant that crawls somewhere throughout the entire album, and these pleasant sequences provide complete enjoyment on these very detailed compositions. Penumbra comes on a vinyl record, compact disc, and all streaming services. This mindblowing album has been published by Pelagic Records.