Existentialist sentiment is nothing new to the vacuum that is post adolescent direction. Evidence of this can be found in one of this year's biggest releases, Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs, but comparing Herra Terra to Arcade Fire would be misleading. Whereas the former act’s attitude is represented in easygoing compositions with a largely defeatist mentality, the latter’s forthcoming debut LP Quiet Geist, dropping September 14th via Cincinnati-based label The Mylene Sheath, proves that the trio from Worcester hasn’t given up hope just yet. As a whole, the album is a rainbow of grey- with shades ranging from the opaque ash found in “Nothing is Yours to Keep” chronicling a relationship that simply ran out of gas, to the silver lined “Lost in Labyrinth” pushing listeners to keep digging deeper in search of the reason why.
The sounds in line to support such content don’t drift too far from the same spectrum. Atonal guitar arpeggios, heavily effected bass lines, an array of blips that sound like digital raindrops, runny synthesizer accompaniment, and a collection of industrialized machine-like percussion, that at times make the record sound like it was recorded in a factory, are all welcome here. Also abundant are prog-esque polyrhythms and a roster of songs that play like a well-written book where slow introductory development evolves into intense climaxes, only to dissipate into calming resolutions left open to interpretation.
Existentialist sentiment is nothing new to the vacuum that is post adolescent direction. Evidence of this can be found in one of this year's biggest releases, Arcade Fire’s The Suburbs, but comparing Herra Terra to Arcade Fire would be misleading. Whereas the former act’s attitude is represented in easygoing compositions with a largely defeatist mentality, the latter’s forthcoming debut LP Quiet Geist, dropping September 14th via Cincinnati-based label The Mylene Sheath, proves that the trio from Worcester hasn’t given up hope just yet. As a whole, the album is a rainbow of grey- with shades ranging from the opaque ash found in “Nothing is Yours to Keep” chronicling a relationship that simply ran out of gas, to the silver lined “Lost in Labyrinth” pushing listeners to keep digging deeper in search of the reason why.
