Details: Chasms "Glimpse of Heaven" Pink & Blue Swirl LP (2023, Felte Records). New stock, sealed.

Description: "Labrador’s deeply personal work as Chasms has always felt like an unveiling. Following 2019’s ‘The Mirage,’ which was a dark, dubby meditation on grief and loss, this new album is both familiar and different. The third full-length under the Chasms name, ‘Glimpse of Heaven’ trades in washes of reverb for starker moments of closeness and intimacy. An exploration of the personal inventory and reckoning necessary to move forward in life, the LP considers not only how we relate to the world, but more importantly how we relate to ourselves.

While always distinct, you could previously detect post-punk, shoegaze, and dub sensibilities in the music. Dreamy drift tethered by skittered beats, airy vocals, and melancholic melodies are here like previous efforts too. However, at the same time, Labrador steps into new territory with an expanse of vaporous synths and samples, adding to the project’s ethereal electronic pop and dubwise pulse. Lush guitars glisten throughout the album, but this time only in sparse, disciplined embellishments. ‘Glimpse of Heaven’ is a fully realized version of Chasms beyond its influences; to say that this is a seamless evocation of such disparate sounds as Massive Attack, Basic Channel, Sade, Seefeel and Dif Juz is to say it is wholly unique.

Produced and recorded by Labrador, ‘Glimpse of Heaven’ was mixed by Joshua Eustis (Telefon Tel Aviv), who also contributed additional production to the album."

Grade: M (new stock)

TRACK LISTING SIDE A:

A1. Ache
A2. Another Dream
A3. Glimpse Of Heaven
A4. Decay

TRACK LISTING SIDE B:

B1. Parallel
B2. Things Have Changed
B3. Aftertaste
B4. Submit
B5. Waiting For The Spell To Break