We featured Finnish post rock band ‘Ghosts on TV’ earlier this week, and another band from the same nation with similar influences are ‘Mantaray’, who recently released a new album entitled ‘In Everything’.
I wrote about ‘Mantaray’ back in 2018 when they released ‘No More Sirens’, an assured album that really grew on me over time, and we saw an early glimpse of new material at the end of 2019 when a single was released entitled 'On the Back of Your Hand'.
‘In Everything’ has been out for almost a month now, and it’s pretty much taken me that long to really get to know it. Of course, I like albums that take more time and investment, especially when they’re in that post rock / shoegaze style that appeals to me, but ‘In Everything’ has slightly pushed my patience, because it’s just so laid back and ‘shoegazey’ that at times you’ll want to go and give them all a good shake.
But get past that and hopefully you’ll see it has appeal, because when considering the album as a whole it’s actually a gorgeous, subtle release where every note and sound is very carefully defined, and where the beauty is really in the detail. Opening track ‘Breaking Horses’ is a good example, a hypnotic drum beat is the backdrop of the song, and it’s the intricacies of the bands instrumentation that are still interesting after multiple listens. Previous single ‘On the Back of Your Hand’ does stand out because those it does allow those guitars to build the volume to a climax, and the cut-away moment just past 3 minutes 30 is really cleverly conceived.
‘Outside Me’ has a lovely melody, and whilst ‘Alta’ really didn’t grab me on the first 8 listens, the intensity of the instrumental section at the end does work, with a sustained wall of sound that starts around 3 minutes in, and really makes use of the full ammunition at the disposal of the 6 piece collective. And title track ‘In Everything’ is particularly a slow burner, but also classic post rock in the way that the guitars build and slowly get inside my head.
Similarly to their first album ‘No More Sirens’, my frustration with ‘In Everything’ is that I’m constantly wanting them to allow their guitarists to pick up the pace, let rip and allow their songs to explode into life. But they’re not really that type of band and I need to stop wanting them to be something they’re not. So instead just turn up the volume high and try let this music consume you, enjoy it for what is, and if you haven’t quite got time on your hands, I’d recommend the most accessible track ‘On the Back of Your Hand’ for your latest playlists.
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