It’s not often that I review singles; mostly that’s due to the nature of Ambient music and the distinct lack of them (although I suppose in a way quite a few Ambient and Drone releases could be considered “singles” purely by track count, but I digress) but also because it’s not hugely often that artists really come out with individual track releases that I find exciting enough to indulge writing on. Lusine’s Jeff McIlwain has a special place in my heart as many of you may know, however, so how could I let something like this slip by?
The title track of an impending 4 track EP due to arrive in August, it’s a deliciously fresh way to let us know that Jeff’s still alive and keen to produce music. Arterial is his first EP since 2010’s Twilight set of mixes, but unlike that particular release and most of his other EPs also, it appears we’re going to be introduced to wholly new content rather than rehashed album versions, which is great news for annoying fans like me. Showcasing the style he’s been refining under Ghostly’s protective wings for the last 10(!) years, Arterial is a little bit of a mulch, predominantly building on the big builds of recent The Waiting Room but with some interesting twists. Whilst those cute little clarinet fragments and sliding electronic whoops that have become cemented into his trademark still form a big part of the track’s early moments alongside the drum machine, it’s eager to show that this isn’t just another Microhouse one trick pony as it manages a carefully orchestrated build in textural and emotional complexity.
Its core shifts to a mildly more serious focused synth shuffling, the riff doubling down in this slow-burning but surprisingly epic climax, slipping in to the dark expanse of night. The slurred meanderings of chopped vocal nothings and driving MIDI claps fall away in a crackling rift that changes the tone of the piece right as the Sun sinks below the horizon, but once this urgency has passed all of the initial swirling textures circle back into the mix like moths to a flame, some resurgent beauty found in this dark heart.
God I can’t stop listening to this; at the same time it commands this high-volume, meaty aura that’s really thickly groove inducing and all-consuming in its most energised and complex state, but at the same time it’s got this sly and elusive beauty lurking in the shadows behind all these rampant riffs and heady basslines. It’s got a really cathartic and escapist feel that’s both relieved in its freedom but also vaguely concerned at the consequences of its actions; I like that sensation, because it feels like it’s a bastardised reworking of some early, more delicate Lusine work that’s been given this huge boost of digital energy in a very different direction, and it doesn’t quite know how to deal with it.
The EP drops on August 5th and you can preorder the 10″ or digital version from Ghostly International here.