Anyone who follows my writing will know I am a long-time fan of Dave Brenner and his Gridfailure project, and from time to time he works with other like-minded individuals. These collaborations are not always as effective as his solo works, which is down to my own personal preferences, but this time he has a partner who has pushed the music into new dimensions while not losing the core of his own sound. Interstitia is the ambient, electronic, instrumental solo project of Graham Scala, also of Bleach Everything, US Christmas, Harmonic Cross, Collapse Culture, and more. Since its inception in 2019, the unit has released multiple albums, EPs, and singles, independently and through the Pax Aeternum label imprint which he co-operates. The music is psychedelic, looping mutated techno rhythms and fried ambient textures into something immersive and disorienting.
I often feel Brenner evokes post-apocalyptic nightmares (in black and white) of what the world is like after the bomb has dropped, and here he and Scala combine to give us the impressions of an America not too far in the future, dystopian, with military/espionage tactics, civil unrest, off-the-grid cults and militant factions, covert government police, the takeover of artificial intelligence, and the looming threat of nuclear catastrophe more realistic than ever. So it is pre-bomb and not post and given what can be seen of what is happening in America it somehow feels like a totally fitting soundtrack. The electronic sounds are being twisted and brought together in a way which is uncomfortable yet also more mainstream than what we normally get from Brenner, but never anything which could be considered commercial in any way shape or form. This is music which continues to push boundaries of what can be considered as such, stark and jagged, never wanting the listener to be truly comfortable but to stay on edge, not knowing what is coming next. White noise and effects are brought together to create something incredibly intense.
I hope this is not the last album we have heard from this duo, as the combination of their styles has created something which is truly fascinating and compelling.
Rating: 8/10
Links:
https://interstitia.bandcamp.com
https://www.facebook.com/gridfailure
https://www.facebook.com/paxaeternumdigital
