Review: Chasms - The Mirage
April 22, 2019
I'm a huge fan of the Felte Records and I always find myself poking around their bandcamp looking for tunes that are a little out there and off the beaten path. Thankfully since Ritual Howls are residents of the mitten, Felte releases are readily available at local record stores. This allowed me to pick up Chasms - The Mirage and absolutely fall in love with this album.
Initially, someone told me Chasms was like a modern day Cocteau Twins, so that got my attention right away. I'm a sucker for anything ethereal, so checking them out became a priority. I listened to a couple of cuts off The Mirage around the time it came out and dug them a lot. The haunting and melancholic vocals, scattered and desperate sounding guitar work, and catchy bass lines really sucked me into the dark world that is Chasms When I finally saw this album on the racks it was a no brainer, I put some other records down and picked this up instead.
This album is a bit different compared to their old material. I got more of a goth, ethereal, shoegaze, vibe from their past work. The Mirage still holds down the goth/ethereal style, but is way more chilled out noise/dynamic wise and darker. Another aspect that sets this album apart from their old material is the minimalism in record to it's repetitive nature and the dub bass lines that really carry the songs.
I highly recommend this album if you're looking for something a little darker and chill. Go show some support and pick this one up and catch Chasms on tour this summer!