Letting their mesmerizing, mournful structures and demoralizing amplification do their talking, C H R I S T delivers their works virtually void of vocals on their dense but expansive T O W E R debut. Surging with a visceral and fully immersive, nearly forty-two-minute excursion through the outer boundaries of ethereal post-hardcore/rock. The members of C H R I S T hold deep roots in the Quebec scene, veterans of a range of bands currently or previously holding collective rank in Ire, The Black Hand, Complications, Cobra Noir, Sed Non Satiata, Near Grey and more, yet T O W E R offers a fresh, wholly different sound than any of their other projects.
Founded by guitarists Patrick Fontaine (Ire, The Black Hand, Complications) and Maxime Jenniss (Cobra Noir), who later recruited Charles Marty (Sed Non Satiata) and Kevin Bartczak (Near Grey), C H R I S T is a far more restrained and contemplative endeavor than what would be safe to assume when looking at the band’s pedigree. Combining a sparse and almost virtuously patient approach to percussion with lush walls of harmonic drop-tuned textures, the band creates intimate and enthralling soundscapes. The band’s debut recording is now delivered in T O W E R, captured at Thee Mighty Hotel2Tango in Montréal by Thierry Amar (Godspeed You! Black Emperor and Thee Silver Mount Zion Memorial Orchestra), with additional recordings by Bunny Bartczak at HLR Grover. Mixed by Radwan Ghazi Moumneh (The Black Hand, Ire, Jerusalem In My Heart) and Amar and mastered by Harris Newman at Grey Market, the LP’s cover art was created from photos by Anouk Lessard, edited by Claude Lafrance, and designed by Maxime Jenniss. Comprised of four mostly instrumental songs which offer more than a few surprises as they bloom, T O W E R is an otherworldly documentation of well-crafted audio artistry fit for fans of Earth, Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Lae, Mogwai, This Will Destroy You and Crippled Black Phoenix. [L’oeil Du Tigre]