by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
For the past decade, Taylor Holenbeck (Appleseed Cast, Des Ark, Hospital Ships) has been making music under the name of Heartscape Landbreak, a fitting moniker for songs that are both emotional and invested in the natural world. At times tranquil and meditative and full blown at others, there’s a focus on the artistic side of rock’s many subgenres, combining fuzzy riffs, angular progressions, and distorted pop, the project touches upon the hallmarks of his other bands while also finding moments reminiscent of …Trail of Dead and maybe hints of early SDRE. Set to release new full length, The Remedy, on March 8th via Cosmic Dreamer Records, we’ve got the premiere of the record’s sprawling title track.
Built on a blast of wobbly shoegaze guitars and a pounding rhythm, the song is as immediate as they come, setting a bent presence from the very beginning. The vocals, buried and partially manipulated with an in-the-red effect, howl over the chaotic swarm, but it’s the progression and structure that highlight Heartscape Landbreak’s patience and nuance. They dive into a stampede of snare fills (this is where that …Trail of Dead influence becomes strikingly apparent) and the guitars drift closer to a starry shimmer than anything warped and blaring. The textures and moods expand from there, each building deeper into all that has proceeded it.