FEATURED ARTIST
Odonian Drifts
Nottingham, United Kingdom
ARTIST BACKGROUND
Odonian Drifts was formed in 2021 as the solo project of I.S. Rowley – poet, para-academic and one-fifth of post-punki(ish) outfit Spirits in the Pillar, signed to AnalogueTrash. It also follows the publication of Rowley's poetry collection by Bristol indie press Hesterglock: an(other) effort to orchestrate a withdrawal from futurelessness without recourse to faticidic guruism or modish agitprop. Their musical thinking is deep-cooked in England’s esoteric underground; listeners can find outputs ranging from darkwave melded with a febrile Sprechgesang to acid-folk meets baroque pop. Through a negotiation of – or, more accurately, a stumbling through and floundering in – theurgic processes, where the imperative is always to construct a ritual body fit for hosting the primal-ineffable rather than the hyper-real, dismantling what Jack Spicer called ‘the big lie of the personal’, Odonian Drifts wrestles with the question of how to transfigure a way of merely, barely coping into a form of redemption shorn of escapist palliatives.
I must admit, when I was given this track to review, I was super excited to hear the meaning and influences that make this production. So, let's get into this review then!
XSUFFLATION REVIEW
Odonian Drifts presented us with their single entitled 'Xsufflation'. This song has an eerie opening that hooks the listener instantly through the use of synth rock guitar plucks and atmospheric bass notes that are mixed to perfection to provide the ultimate darkwave feel. As the vocals come into the mix they are crystal clear and packed with reverb to add to the moody atmosphere of the instrumentation. This is a great opening to the piece as it makes use of the space of the track to bring a full experience to the listener without any lack in quality. As the track develops we're given sweeping gloomy backing adlibs that add an extra layer to the song. This lifts the mood of the track and provides more feel and depth as the track moves on. Further into the track we hear the instrumentation take to the forefront of the production to give a vocal break. This brings something refreshing to the piece to allow us to sit back and become all consumed in what the instruments offer without overpowering the production. The vocals are then brought back in to tell the remaining piece of the story. Keeping to this narrative, the lyrics tell a story of fakeness and how to rescues mankind from all of the unjust through an existential viewpoint. The depth and reflection in these lyrics hold the narrative that there is something wrong with the world. A very deep analysis of the world is found in this piece through both the lyrical content and the execution/arrangement of the instrumentation.
'Xsufflation is a perfectly mixed production that makes use of the space consistently. All of the components of the song know their place and purpose in the mix to create something that the listener becomes all consumed in. No piece is left out of place. The vocals sit perfectly in the production and offer something that is uplifting yet haunting at the same time. To top it off, the piece has been mastered to perfection to give one of the most polished productions I have heard this month. 10/`10 from TJPL NEWS. I would 100% recommend that you hit the button below to hear this track, it has a very unique feel to it.