If you stay out late enough, you can smell it in the air – the new Closure in Moscow approaches, and it’s a safe bet that Soft Hell, due October 27th, is going to continue the band’s expansive vision of world peace achieved through prog, future-funk, and philosophical quandaries. After all, how could it not? But we actually might be in for a little bit more – yes, more.
Obviously, you don’t just drop something like Pink Lemonade into the universe and just go back to being some kind of math rock muggle or all-around normal person. Or… actually, maybe you do? Not that we’d ever accuse CoM of crossing over into quote unquote normal territory. It’s just that the broader emotional currents in what we’ve heard from Soft Hell so far are exceedingly accessible, but still classic Closure.
It’s down to earth in a way we haven’t heard from the band in over a decade – and sure, might have a soft spot for songs about dinosaurs and lusty neoprene time travelers, but if time is not linear, aren’t they always here? Besides, we know they’re not all gone, and what Closure in Moscow is doing here is smart, and hopefully as rewarding for them as it is for us. Check out their most recent single “Keeper of the Lake,” both visually and audibly, for some hazy 1990’s brutalism.
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It’s the band’s slowest burning single to date, but certainly one of their more rewarding. Check out what drummer Salvatore Aidone had to say about it:
“Probably one of my favourite tracks on the album. I think this is the first time helping to write lyrics and giving this song its back story became this really amazing cathartic experience for me… I also probably for the first time truly understood that songs can mean totally different things for different people and I hold this song close to me but feel really hopeful that others will find it really relatable.”
Much like “Better Way,” Soft Hell‘s initial single, “Keeper of the Lake” stays ambitious yet maintains the understated alchemy of previous offerings First Temple and Penance and the Patience. Pink Lemonade was an altogether strong brew, with dozens, if not hundreds of listens revealing hidden layers and quasi-mystic references. We’re sure there will still be a lot to chew on with the new album, but we also appreciate the earthier, more relatable notes we’ve been able to savor so far.
Even the previous single “Primal Sinister,” the band displays a bit of humor with the pitched, Funkadelic-warped vocals in the chorus. Closure in Moscow has always been witty, but they’ve never not been heady at the same time – here, they manage to outgrow what they started with “Neoprene Byzantine,” or even the transcendence of “Happy Days” which blissfully broke the spell of Pink Lemonade‘s control with it’s 70’s rock swagger and out-of-body projections.
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So far, we’re just extremely stoked. It’s like “Better Way” represented an underhanded reference to the post-hardcore of First Temple, with “Primal Sinister” serving as an acknowledgement that the persuasions of its followup were far from temporary – with “Keeper of the Lake” smacking of both, but also a push forward towards something new, our fascination with what these boys are cooking up is just about peaking.
We’ll keep you posted.
Be sure to pre-order the record here at the Closure in Moscow Bandcamp page. Coming up we’ve got our first ever Not Another Fecking Gear Review, MAEBE, and a whole lot more. But mostly we are working on reaching out to people about the East Coast // Midwest compilation. Slowly though, because we are also moving. What a year – anyway! Thanks for reading!