Frequency Drift - Letters to Maro (2018) [Hi-Res]

2018 release. Letters to Maro's predecessor Last was still strongly imprinted by heavy guitars. On the new record, though, the Bayreuth-based band put the focus on rhythmic sophistication innovation in the field of sound design to deliver even more vital imagery for the imagination of people. In this context, however, the typically catchy vocal arrangements create a remarkable degree of accessibility, which is impressive, particularly when considering that complexity accounts for a considerable degree of Frequency Drift's artistic output - now even more than in the past. In order to continue the practice of creating a very unique sound for every album the band has deepened it's intense use of tight arrangements and unconventional instruments: once again the electronic harp is at the center of the compositions, in particular. That way the group leaves the heavy guitar sound of Last behind and displays a much more transparent and electronic approach on Letters to Maro. That is how the songs receive the room to breathe they need, so they can unfold their inherent melancholy and lightness with highly-precise clarity. Frequency Drift has never been rhythmically more versatile, never have the songs contained more energy or heart. The implementation of the lyrical aspect of the concept was conducted by new addition and singer Irini Alexia. She not only uses her emotional eloquence in her voice but also in her writing style. The songs were conceived as loosely connected stand-alone letters in which Irini tells the story of a person that has to come to the realization that even returning to the metropolis of his youth, hedonism and the pursuit of normality cannot obliterate all the ghosts of loss. It would have been easy to get fully immersed in melancholia, but despite the enormous emotionality of the songs: in many places, subtle winks provide them with moments of lightness and comfort.