Chicago-based trio PsiloMine Sun craft an array of dynamic, immersive atmospheres across their new album Instrumentality — ranging from the soul-searching emotion of “In Memories” to the evolving “Darkened State,” which swells from Radiohead-esque guitar trickling into a spine-tingling second half, with multiple vocal layers and orchestral-like flourishes. The album’s aesthetic ventures seamlessly from spacey electronic spaciousness to glistening expanses; its structural unveilings are consistently memorable.
“Fables” is especially riveting, enjoyably representative of PsiloMine Sun’s textural evolutions. Murmured, meditative vocals meld with steady percussive pit-pattering for an otherworldly vibe, attaining clarity as gorgeous guitar work emerges with shimmering elegance.
The peppier “Blood” embraces the more jangling dream-pop realm, pairing vocal introspection with prancing guitars — and enveloping especially as the vocals’ emotion rise in the approach to the two-minute turn. The delicate electro-folk of “Fall Back” — wondering “if I could go back” — is another winner, as is the fantastic title track finale, soothing and consuming in its gentle bass pulses and soaring vocal tones. Instrumentality is another success from PsiloMine Sun, who caught our ears last year with the track “Fables.”
