Ripped Apparition

Description

Since 2016, Public Memory has been producing lo-fi electronics from the darkest corners of the psychic landscape. Granular atmospheres, damaged synthesizers, and supernatural voices blend with a mix of electronic and organic percussion, creating a powerful sense of unease. This, combined with the shadowy production and emotionally charged vocals of Robert Toher, creates a unique contrast between strength and vulnerability. Public Memory's new album, Ripped Apparition, continues to explore these themes. More than any of the projects that preceded it, Ripped Apparition is filtered through the narcotic lens of Public Memory. Somewhere between dream and nightmare, both slowed down and accelerated, ugly and beautiful. Listening to "Epigone," you wouldn't imagine being plunged so deeply into the guts of this world. The relaxed rhythms and airy synths contrast beautifully with Toher's anxious, descending melodies, but the overall impression is lighter, more expansive than usual. "Midsummer Shadow," on the other hand, compresses and oppresses. Claustrophobic drums force the song to move forward, despite the feeling of walls closing in around it. Despite its constant play with our perception of time, Ripped Apparition is not simply a nostalgic exercise. It does not retreat into an imagined future either. The album evokes a degraded past and future, existing simultaneously, saturated with loss and uncertainty. Escaping to another time is not an option; there is only the relentless present and an attempt to make sense of the dreams and fantasies on which we have built it.