Tales From The Ripped is a consuming new album from RIP DUNES, the Brooklyn-based project of Matthew Iwanusa, blending post-punk guitar work with analog electronics and tape-treated atmospheres. Framed like a half-remembered late-night film set in the 1980s, the album shifts between shadowy synth passages, hypnotic rhythms, and jangly rock flourishes, building a distinct world of recurring characters and cinematic intrigue.
Enthralling album opener “New Prophet” weaves a grimy synth-bass and illuminated lead, then complemented by ghostly, wordless harmonic elements that further the late-night atmospheric feeling. This leads seamlessly into “You Tired,” strutting a New Order-esque glow as bouncy bass and lushly jangling guitars maneuver into a calming lead presence, acknowledging fatigue into a delectable burst of twanging guitars, starry-eyed synths, and enthused “whoo!” backing elements; it’s a great example of RIP Dunes’ ability to shift between hypnotically caressing intrigue and charismatic rock pursuits.
Another highlight, “I Work in a Factory” embraces a more instrumental electronic edge, pairing warbled murkiness and glimmering synth nostalgia with robotic-like synth-tonal sounds. The ensuing “Rem” then brings us back into a jangly rock and synth intertwining, which like “You Tired” delights in a nocturnal rock realm, fusing atmospheric guitar twangs with uplifts in melodic radiance. The hazy guitar tones lead the way throughout, playing as one of the album’s most rock-forward successes alongside the feedback-laden “Anniversary,” while “Deadly Towers” concludes the album with a riveting, spacey synth-led charm. Full of intriguing soundscapes and melodic gems, Tales From The Ripped is a stellar full-length from RIP DUNES, who first caught our ears last month with album track “Living in Fear.”
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“Rem” and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup.
