Public Memory
Brooklyn-based Public Memory has shared a new track from his second full-length album, ‘Demolition’, which is set for release on November 9th via Felte.
Influenced by intertwining themes such as the story of Judas Iscariot, the demise of a relationship, and the omnipotent, pervading essence of night-time, this second taste of the new LP, ‘Red Rainbow’ pulsates with layered synths that create a euphoric, expansive experience.
The second full-length album from Public Memory fully embodies its theme and the emotional associations therewith. As Public Memory creator Robert Toher (previously of ERAAS & Apse) cites it, ‘Demolition’ is (whether voluntary or not) the intentional destruction of something, usually with the intent to reform or rebuild something new in its place. It’s a term that ties together underlying themes from the period in which the record was created.
While the Public Memory prominent krautrock and trip-hop rhythms found both in 2016’s debut LP, ‘Wuthering Drum’ and 2017’s ‘Veil of Counsel’ EP are represented here, ‘Demolition’ explores a greater range of tempos and an expanse of alien emotions with layers of electronic drums, live drums, Korg synths and samples from nature. Themes of rebirth and reflection imbue the album’s atmosphere, rich in tape delay, spring reverb, and textures that conjure a sci-fi and supernatural narrative.
“I set out to make a larger, more widescreen kind of album” Toher explains. “I wanted it to feel more in focus, with harder edges, more discern-able lyrics. More clarity… I wanted to explore more and go to places I hadn’t been before.”
Following on from the album’s opener and lead single “The Line”, there is a meditation on impending collapse, “Red Rainbow” begins with an arpeggiated melody that hints at a sense of dread. Like the darkness of night descends, the track unfolds with haunting atmospherics and howling synths, finishing with an unexpected climax that ominously builds until at last it falls apart, quickly, softly, without incident. The slow-tempo “Aegis,”
Public Memory’s music is a mixture of damaged and dubbed-out percussion, unfurling synths and sparse sampling – all strung together by producer Robert Toher’s spectral vocal. Toher’s adept use of space and tension articulates the world of ‘Demolition’ as eerie, emotive, and above all, narcotic. Each track is an existential procession. “Turning out the lights on your illusion,” Toher sings to close the album, accepting that change is an inescapable condition of being.
