From the opening moments of Black Poison Morning, His Father’s Voice reveals themselves as an ultimate sonic force, blending brooding depths and melodic grandeur into an emotionally charged debut. This record is a sprawling, echoic masterpiece, equal parts introspective, anthemic, melancholic, and defiant. It exemplifies the post-punk’s continuing relevance, reinterpreted through the fresh lens of this Limerick-based quartet.
Ash O’Connor’s vocals guide the album like a haunted narrator through a fog-laden dreamscape. Her voice is a captivating mix of cool detachment and vulnerability, often gliding with a commanding presence that recalls the theatricality of Cocteau Twins or maybe Dead Can Dance. The back vocals, often harmonizing in ethereal counterpoints, further elevate the sonic palette, creating a layered atmosphere where every emotion feels amplified, each word reverberating with urgency. At the heart of Black Poison Morning lay masterful guitar works. James Reidy’s lead work weaves intricate melodies and jagged riffs with ease, expertly shifting between shimmering beauty and expressive distortion. Guitars dominate the soundscape, awash in reverb that makes every strum and pick feel larger than life, yet never overwhelming. This layering creates a hauntingly immersive ambiance, imagine The Cure’s wistful shimmer colliding with the stormy noise of Sonic Youth. The interplay between O’Connor and Reidy is magnetic. Their guitar work in tandem, often dueling, sometimes embracing, always moving the compositions forward with a sense of urgency and purpose. The use of reverb and echo isn’t merely aesthetic, it’s a narrative device, transforming the instrumentation into ghostly whispers or thunderous proclamations, depending on the mood.
The bassist Laya Meabhdh Kenny and drummer Cian McGuirk drive this cinematic landscape, anchoring the expansive soundscapes with unrelenting precision. Kenny’s basslines are intricate and melodic, often standing out as a voice of their own. They wind through the tracks with a flexible, almost liquid quality, forming the foundation over which the guitars glide and the vocals lament. McGuirk’s drumming is phenomenal. His ability to shift from tight, propulsive beats to explosive, thunderous crescendos injects the record with a kinetic energy that keeps every track alive and evolving. His playing isn’t just the backbone of the band, it’s the heartbeat, propelling the songs to new heights and grounding their more ethereal moments with a visceral sense of immediacy. The melodies are exquisite, walking the line between melancholia and euphoria with grace. The chord progressions often feel deceptively simple, but beneath their surface lies a complexity that rewards repeated listens. The harmonies and thematic motifs are knitted with care, creating a timeless and fresh emotional resonance. What sets His Father’s Voice apart is their ability to craft deeply personal yet universally relatable songs. The lyrics are introspective and poetic, exploring themes of longing, loss, and resilience. O’Connor’s delivery imbues these words with sincerity, making every line feel like a shared secret or a whispered confession.
Recorded and mixed by Micheál Keating in The Den, Co. Limerick, and mastered by Dan Coutant, Black Poison Morning nails in production and performance. The sound design enhances the album’s immersive qualities, with layers of instrumentation cascading over one another like waves. The mix allows each element to breathe, ensuring that nothing feels lost in the lush arrangements. The production doesn’t merely serve the music, it becomes an integral part of its identity. The decision to embrace an expansive, echoic sound gives the album a cinematic quality, making it feel like a soundtrack to an unwritten film. This album demands to be experienced in its entirety, with each track flowing effortlessly into the next like chapters in a novel. The physical presentation of Black Poison Morning, a black vinyl housed in a pantone-printed, reverse-board gatefold sleeve, reflects the same attention to detail found in the music. The artwork, designed by Kenny and Hugh Heffernan, complements the album’s themes with a stark and evocative visual language.
His Father’s Voice emerges here as a band with a clear and compelling artistic vision. They’re not revisiting the past, they’re reimagining it, infusing the aesthetics of post-punk and shoegaze with a modern sensibility. Their music pays homage to their influences while carving out a unique space, showcasing a fresh, unique, versatile, and entertaining collection of songs. Black Poison Morning feels like a revelation in a world saturated with cookie-cutter records. This is not background music, it’s a record that insists on engagement, inviting you to explore its intricacies and immerse yourself in its atmosphere. It’s a debut that not only establishes His Father’s Voice as a standout band but also sets a high bar for what modern post-punk can achieve. In a genre often defined by its past, Black Poison Morning points firmly toward the future, proving that there is still room for innovation and authenticity in the ever-evolving landscape of underground music. Head to Blowtorch Records for more information about ordering.
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