I think we can all agree that the summer album of 2011 was Dominick Fernow’s Prurient release Bermuda Drain. I don’t think there’s a one of us who can say that we didn’t hum along to his tortured screaming on “A Meal Can Be Made” or drive to the beach blasting “Palm Tree Corpse” (with its sun-soaked spoken word chorus of “If I could/ I’d take a tree branch/and ram it inside you”) . And seriously, who didn’t make out with their summer crush to “Myth of Sex” at least once?
Well, the good times are back, my friends! It’s been a while since we’ve gotten a proper Prurient release, but Fernow’s given us plenty to tide us over with his cassette releases, collaborations, and a bunch of work from those other projects of his. Fernow’s latest bears some similarities to the John Carpenter-meets-Wolf Eyes aesthetic of Bermuda Drain, but overall, Through the Window is another beast all together. There’s a significant sense of restraint on this release compared to Bermuda Drain’s synth/vocal/feedback pummel. A perfect example of this is the slow-burning, 18-plus-minute title track that consistently builds tension without ever providing release. The other two tracks have a similarly excellent ebb and flow while grooving unlike any of Fernow’s other Prurient releases to date (even the noise-ridden “Terracotta Spine” keeps a minimal pulse throughout). All of this is sure to make Through the Window the next go-to beach party record of choice for summer 2k13.
Through the Window is out via Blackest Ever Black on February 25. Stream the record in its entirety via Pitchfork Advance.
• Prurient: http://prurient.bandcamp.com
• Blackest Ever Black: http://blackesteverblack.bigcartel.com