Life brings you what you need sometimes. The (almost unnecessary-to-share) back story is that I copped a solid blow to my writer’s ego in earlier days of Depth, and the post-rock induced attack had me decide to never write about music without lyrics again. And then I met Night Verses, “Copper Wasp”, and From The Gallery of Sleep, and was shoved out of the rut of that decision. Sometimes the music itself is worth willingly feeding yourself to proverbial wolves, with creative fear vanishing when adoration takes over.
Tides Of Man is another that is worth it. The Floridian post-rock four piece of Spencer Gill (Guitar), Alan Jaye (Bass), Josh Gould (Drums), and Daniel Miller (Guitar), have just released “Static Hymn”, and it is movingly impressive. The single comes along with the announcement of a new full length album on the way, with the twelve tracks of Every Nothing releasing on 3rd August. It also comes coupled with an intriguing visual experience crafted by Stephen Mlinarcik.
Tender and warm at its introduction, “Static Hymn” could be taken as a homecoming. With good headphones, the many layers of this early part of the song feel like an airy downward drifting through translucent and silken fabrics. A looping guitar riff joins in with this, and sparks a sense of warning.
As more and more layers combined with this, it was easy to become immersed in the song, and from within my chest was something growing and strengthening in response to it. I don’t consciously know why, but when a single guitar ‘spoke’ clearly above all of the layers, it offered a palpable sense of relief, like ‘finally!’.
Then, being suspended momentarily in the air before a hard crash into reality, a blisteringly rough fall coupled with sparks, friction, windburn, and shredded surfaces, had the effect of being tumbled like a rough stone; smoothing the angles with directionless persistence and constant seeking – all somehow expressed by wailing riffs and tireless drumming.
Repeat listens to “Static Hymn” were a given, which highlighted to my ears the sheer beauty of the bass throughout the track. Its ongoing presence, without grabbing for the spotlight, offered a persistent sense of comfort and reliability, even in the face of out-of-reality ethereal weightlessness, or a damaging crash.
I’m learning that these wordless songs are given in openness, having our experiences guide how they appear to us as individuals and also how we ‘use’ them or respond to them. The way we process and feel is an experience unique to each of us, which makes criticism or judgement irrelevant. Songs like “Static Hymn” are context-free opportunities to surrender and go where we’re taken, and this is done brilliantly with a relatively unassuming beginning before we’re pulled to break out of tired shells into something far more.
Beautiful and breathtaking, “Static Hymn” is a piece of music that deserves attentive ears and hearts to experience it. The multi-shaded paint imagery gives a suitable backdrop to make the music your own, while also sparking intrigue. Watch below, and you can also find the track on our Spotify playlist HERE.
