The Flenser is quickly becoming one of those labels where, whenever they have their name attached to something, we immediately move that release to the top of our pile. Have we said that previously? If yes, we don’t care because it’s true! And if not, well, now ya know! And what else you should know is how goldarn fantastic their latest release from Planning For Burial is.
And on that note, sometimes going in blind is the best. You don’t get bogged down with the baggage of what’s come before and are also free to not compare the current release to past recordings. Sure we know the Pennsylvania-based “band” (PFB is the solo project for Thom Wasluck) but have yet to fully dive in for one reason or another. That stops today with It’s Closeness, It’s Easy. There’s so much happening across these 9 tracks (And first in 8 years) in terms of denseness and emotion that cover Wasluck’s experiences with love, loss (Including saying goodbye to a beloved 17 year old cat which, having recently parted with a 20+ year old cat ourselves, can confirm indeed sucks) and everything in between for a brilliantly beautiful and elegantly brutal magnum opus.
“You Think” just bludgeons with syncopated beats straight out of an early Godflesh (Think Streetcleaner) recording that rattle on for a hefty chunk of time before swerving into some Nick Cave-like emotive sonic destruction which is all so epic that you’d be excused for thinking this is the conclusion of PFB’s 4th and not the first frickin’ track! Then the mixtape aspect of It’s Closeness, It’s Easy kicks in as we glide into “Movement Two” and the unreal soundscapes being produced throughout. Furthering that plot is the moody, somber tones of “(a blueberry pop)” which, ahem, flows into the guitar-driven noise of “A Flowing Field Of Green” with these airy overtones and a lush low end as Wasluck’s trembling vocal tones build and build along with the intensity of the percussion.
“With Your Sunglasses On Like A Ghoul” might be the most “accessible” one on here if that’s your thing with a steady stream of guitar/bass/drum melodies delivering an Alternative Shoegaze crunch while Wasluck bares all vocally with “Grivo” slowing the pace considerably next during another shorter aural excursion that dwells between the tracks. A massive slab of atmosphere on the seven minute and change “Twenty-Seventh of February” chimes in next with piano lines slightly reminiscent of Noel Gallagher’s contribution to the Songs in the Key of X compilation (The superb “Teotihuacan”) followed by a massive slab of rumbling, moving noise (And also clocking in at seven minutes and change) in the form of “Fresh Flowers For All Time” with “Farm Cat, Watching” wrapping up PFB’s newest with a burgeoning hum that gives (Well, us at least) off feelings of hope during its’ swirling synthetic swells.
It’s Closeness, It’s Easy arrives through The Flenser on May 30th and you can pre-order your own now in a variety of options by heading here or to the stream below. For more from Planning For Burial, including ALL the upcoming tour dates in support like the one hitting Medford’s Deep Cuts on August 31st (With Consumer and A Monolithic Dome that you purchase tix directly for here), stay tuned to the socials by heading here or here.