TheMothGatherer

The Moth Gatherer - 'The Comfortable Low' (EP Premiere)

TheMothGatherer

In most depictions, the Roman god Janus has two faces: one that gazes resolutely towards the future and one that also keeps a watchful eye on the past. In that respect, Swedish quartet The Moth Gatherer takes a decidedly Janusian approach on their forthcoming EP The Comfortable Low. Firmly rooted in the same post-metal tradition of Pelican’s City of Echoes and Isis’s Oceanic, the band also incorporate subtle elements of electronica, making for music that’s both forward-thinking and comfortably familiar.

The EP kicks off with “This Provenance of Bones,” featuring guest vocals from Refused’s Dennis Lyxzén. In his most recent Editor’s Choice column, Joseph remarked on how confident the band sounds on this track. A large part of that has to do with the way they play with the listener’s expectations in terms of the song’s structure. Built around a gorgeous, heavily delayed clean guitar figure, the track teases a crescendo in its middle section before pulling back out into an ambient interlude instead. It’s a subtle move, but one that pays off when the tension finally releases in the song’s explosive coda. The nearly nine-minute second track “Still Life Slumber Here” feels both more meditative and sludgier than “Provenance,” and veers into similar sonic territory as The Atlas Moth. It also more prominently features electronica elements, with a repeating two-note synth loop providing a melodic counterpoint to the more bombastic riffing in the song’s second half.

According to the band, their goal with The Comfortable Low was to “push our limits while not forgetting our roots. Our roots in hardcore and our current interest in electronica made their mark on these two songs, a constant travel through harsh and beautiful soundscapes. The music and lyrics are supposed to feel like painful beauty and to provoke reflection. The themes revolve around an inner search, a way to rise while being pushed down by depression.”

The Comfortable Low will be available on March 31 via Agonia Records. In the meantime, enjoy our exclusive stream of the EP below.

-Clayton Michaels

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