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GROWING “One of the best releases on The Social Registry thus far. A set of searing, overdriven drones, Lateral recalls Kranky’s overlooked duo Windy & Carl, Tim Hecker and Spacemen 3, not to mention the sound of Kompakt’s lush Pop Ambient series. Lateral is a glowing example of what Sonic Boom once said: Minimalism is Maximalism.” - Soma “More power to this droning Brooklyn duo for devising a moving, often subtly gorgeous sound at a time when every hipster and his NA sponsor has a “killer ambient-noise side project.”" - Spin “Their sound has become more refined and delicate. The momentum of each of the four tracks here is built from glitches and jitters, gurgles and bright spots of sound, repeated and layered into warm, spacious and velvety capsules of sound.” - The Wire Lateral finds Growing reflecting on their previous two (may we add highly underrated) albums while gazing to the future with newfound rhythmic motifs and otherworldly heights to their sound sculptures. The textures are warm and inviting, tempting the listener to focus on stunning minimalist changes within Growing’s dense aural fog. Lateral begins with ‘Swell,’ a new mission statement for the band’s ever-evolving journey to craft the perfect drone. Opening fuzz continues on the trajectory of ‘Lightfoot,’ the albumcloser off Vision Swim, creating a sense of progression in Growing’s work without seeming overtly nostalgic. The band slowly swells to extreme heights and then phase shifts into another galaxy. ‘First Contact’ quiets the mood, demonstrating a preoccupation with rhythmic noise in the midst of more spaced-out, playful guitar melodies. From here, Growing progress to ‘Lateral’ which meshes the fuzzed out freeform and restrained horizontal composition qualities of the first two tracks. Like a Brooklyn response to the Kompakt ambient series, textural rhythm and washes of atmospheric sound merge for the perfect pre-bed cocktail. Finally, the album concludes with ‘After Glow’ another woozy alien soundtrack that’s simultaneously relaxing and jarring in its beauty, creating a thorough trance through careful repetition. One chord from Growing’s arsenal creates a mindblowing springboard to the stars and makes us think: if Eno made music for airports, Growing make music for spacestations. |
Catalog Number: TSR064 Tracklisting: All Tracks Listed In Blue Are Linked To A Downloadable MP3 |