Hailing from Glasgow, alt-rock, dark wave duo Empty Machine debuted earlier this year to critical acclaim, being featured on BBC Radio 1 by Alyx Holcombe. It was well deserved; ‘Luna’ was certainly a mysterious and tension-packed offering, rather hypnotising and charismatic. Decisively experimental too: in it, the listeners would lose themselves in the group’s deep textures and chaotic distortions.
‘Velvet Sky’ is Empty Machine’s return to the national scene, a record that takes cues from their debut while expanding the sonic landscape into a punchier, beefier direction. Drums are more prominent and fierce, but the rest is exactly as it was before, and it’s a triumph. Massive walls of distorted matter, a dark tapestry of drones and textures blended with spacious guitars and crepuscular vocal harmonies.
Jodie Helena’s tone is crisp and evocative, perfectly complementing such a dooming instrumental, perfectly delivered by Thomas Crawford. Together, they move the project in a more cinematic direction – that is, packed with melodies and emotional energy, providing a listening experience that’s cathartic, emotional yet obscure and nuanced.
Recommended! Discover ‘Velvet Sky’ on Spotify and Youtube:
