by Dan Goldin (@post_trash_)
Chicago quartet Bruges are set to follow up last year’s An Erasure of Form with a new album, A Thread of Light, due out Friday, June 5th. Their sound is a dark mix of noise rock and primal minimalist repetition, comprised of droning low-end and plenty of tension. Inspired by bands like Jesu, Big Brave, and Daughters, the heaviness of their sound relies as much on atmosphere and dynamic as it does physical heft and volume. Their tones tend to work in shades of grey, often taking their time to build mood before revealing what’s to come and where they are headed.
Lead single “Narrow Passage” is one the record’s more immediate tracks, built on a mesmerizing repetition of dense guitars and a tightly compacted rhythm. As the band contemplate “are you wavering, or are you wandering" the steady pounding beat feels colossal, leading the way for the surging guitars to leak into every free crack and space. Bruges coat the mix with layered noise and swarming feedback but they never envelop the guttural hit of the drums.