ANIMAL DROWNING/VINYLE OPAQUE AUDIOPHILE 180GR

Description

Knifeplay's second studio album, Animal Drowning, is a sprawling landscape of shoegaze and elevated slowcore. The album finds the band blending folk instruments, walls of distortion, orchestral strings, and delicate vocals, all meticulously arranged by Philadelphia engineer/producer Jeff Zeigler, known for his work with Nothing, Kurt Vile, and more. Although their sonic palette is vast, Knifeplay creates a cohesive aesthetic to carry the heavy thematic writing of frontman Tj Strohmer, which touches on loss of all kinds in the context of a nihilistic world. These songs scream with urgency, regardless of their tempo and ever-changing dynamics, each piece being a unique vignette of tragedy. Yet, the band's dense and meticulously composed instrumentation breathes beauty, creating a lightness to balance the subject matter. With Animal Drowning, Knifeplay deepens the sonic experimentation and brutally honest lyricism so appreciated in their earlier bedroom recordings, creating a captivating experience that skillfully builds on previous works.