“Light Sleeper” is the latest track from Sand, the Los Angeles experimental outfit spearheaded by drummer and songwriter Dylan Ryan, whose catalog includes collaborations with several underground groups, such as Man Man, Cursive, and The Red Krayola. Taking cues from the electronic impressionism of Tangerine Dream and Cluster, the song centers around a steady progression of ominous synth chords and cerebral percussion, building steam in a pattern of ascension, consistently sounding as if it is on the verge of eruption. Droning keyboards and a series of ghostly vocal effects guide the song toward its climax and final phase, where pulverizing guitars shoot through its atmosphere like streaking lights across the night sky. Its scope is vast and filled with tension, its presence, engulfing. This overarching power enables the track to leave just as it arrived: lurking in the darkness, out of sight but never entirely out of mind.
Buy and stream Dylan Ryan / Sand’s new song “Light Sleeper” out everywhere.
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