…why do you leave me here, DYR FASER – High Lightning
DYR FASER – High Lightning is available at Bandcamp, Spotify, Apple Music.
by Walter Price
In this new post-pandemic TikTok sugar-pop-dance-mimickers world, I’m not too confident that the younger generation of music experiencers will take the time to delve into the experimental side of pop music. Which, in my opinion, is an outright travesty. For example, earlier this month the Boston duo DYR FASER [Amelia May / Eric Boomhower] dropped a 7-track album called ‘High Lightning’ that will blow your mind, if you let it.
This set isn’t particularly pretty. It’s a bit dystopian, twisted for sure, and, well, as the band says, “‘High Lightning’ is a slow-burning spacial escape countered by strong, emotive swellings of doom.” Yeah, but there is an obsessive draw to this kind of soundscape. For example, for me, I hear hints of whimsey when May’s flute sneaks in and warps the sense of time. Or take the disjointed harmonies, these composers know that things aren’t as fluffy and clean as some would have you think. Hince, macabre is all around us and the freakshows are the actual main attractions.
Sun Worship
Burning Star
Faye’s Clue
Knife Inside The Night
Overwhelm Or Destroy
Screaming Reckless
Heavy Vibrating R’s
And after a dozen or more listens and many thoughts about the plotlines, I’ve come to the conclusion that I will never be able to figure out all the nuances of the intricate instrumentation, the songwriter’s thought processes, nor does it matter if I do. Because the magic of this album is its complicated structure and ghostly undertones, which is what brings me back for more. Now, if these two can come up with a dance move the kids can attach themselves to, maybe more ears will find the time to check it out. I’m not holding my breath…
You can stream ‘High Lightning’ in full as well as the duo’s Top Spotify tracks, now at the GTC.
DYR FASER – High Lightning
Band photo / ´quotes courtesy of DYR FASER
Eric Boomhower – vocals, guitar, violin bow, ebow, slide guitar, acoustic guitar, bass, synth, Stylophone, Univox
Amelia May – vocals, guitar, ebow, flute
All songs written by Eric Boomhower & Amelia May
Produced By Eric Boomhower
Cover art by Amelia May
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“Reminiscent of cohort duos Suicide & Beach House, DYR FASER creates a hypnotic post-doom exotica experience. Not a mainstream effort, DYR FASER conjures dark landscapes with poetic incantation, elevating the psychic ear and reaching across genres and worlds.” – bio