Gather a little closer ‘round the campfire, ghouls and witches, for today is Halloween, a scary-cool celebration of all that is dark and unseen, sliced up with slivers of shivers and screams, and spiked with nightmares for dreams.

From this roiling cauldron materializes the ominous second track “Husk” with its psyche-scary accompanying video by the mysterious duo known as Inkraktare.

“Husk” is a cut from the upcoming second album out in November by the band that is comprised of two fiendishly creative artists; master soundscaper Dean Garcia (Curve, SPC ECO, S T F U) and Mark Wallbridge (AKA Vasko the Pig ).

The starkly named “Husk” is a relentless and menacing free fall into an abyss of grinding, churning, and swirling feedback-steeped distortion. Verging on disorienting, “Husk” crackles with ear-piercing pinpoints of noise. Like a fiery apparition sunken in the glowing depths of an inferno, ominous vocals emanate that occasionally reach out towards a flicker of the blue sky above…

The black ‘n’ white shot video focuses on a Jason Voorhees-like mask place front ‘n’ center with a forest in the background. The visuals are manipulated, wavering and shaking, grainy and bleached out, struck with digitized dots and kaleidoscopic colors, and warped with hot flame, yet the mask remains – unchanged.

It’s been ten years since Inkraktare released their debut album, You Have Reached Your Destination, which was an intentionally low-key record. But low-key doesn’t mean dull as the pair pull listeners in with their mesmerizing sound. Garcia gives some insight about the new album, explaining, “The record was recorded over a 3 to 4 month period during the summer months. I would say that it’s actually been made in about six weeks really, which is always a good thing in my book. Not necessary to play loud as it already sounds fucking loud regardless.”

And apparently Inkraktare are the only UK band with a Swedish name, with the word’s meaning retaining its dark, surreptitious force which radiates directly through the outfit’s music.

Garcia goes into interesting detail about the creative process that brought this song into life, revealing, “[This is] the process of illumination… the procedure as to how the Inkraktare tracks have come about as I know certain people find these things interesting…I’m mentioning this because Inkraktare is a very different kind of collaboration, re[garding] how it works and how the ideas are formed and realized than anything I’ve done before (i.e., the source of the idea is unlike anything I’ve worked with before).”

“What’s cool or fascinating [is that] the original soundscapes that Mark sends me are not fully formed as such in any way; they have form, but it’s very abstract (i.e., no specific arrangements, middles, bridges chorus’s etc.); they are open to interpretation to my ear and can therefor go anywhere, unstructured and unrestricted or constrained by a preconceived template. My connection to them is very much from a tonal point of view. The aim is to magnify what’s there by developing a more defined structure by means of bass and drums or anything [that] I feel works,”

“It’s like someone giving you an abstract painting and allowing the other to somehow make it more defined, but still maintain and allow the original source to breathe and shine through. What’s fascinating to me is the way that process happens. I connect in such a particular way that instead of having to really try or think about how to merge the two, it just happens on its own instinctively because the original backdrop is so strong with its unique built-in art-mosphere; it allows me to just let loose and expand or try things that I otherwise would not.”

“This to me is the absolute crucial factor in making collaborative music where it’s both inspiring and surprising to put together. I’ve always said the key to making something you love is to allow these unstructured free fall, on the fly, no fucks given elements into the recording process when they happen, or you allow and embrace this approach, you’ll get something deeper, more expressive, and original.”

“Working with Mark’s sound ideas does exactly that; not only encourages this, [but] it almost taunts or dares you to open up and go there, which is why I’m trying to explain or express the alchemy at play with this project. It’s an uplifting collective noise that expresses the very meaning of the collaborative concept. It’s also been a fun, stress-free approach which, again, does wonders for the spirit of the record. The fucks are given as in “Is it any good?”, but no fucks given as to how it’s achieved. Very enjoyable and inspiring is all – Must do more [like this].”

Written Produced and Recorded by Dean Garcia and Mark Wallbridge
Recorded at ELaB and V Pig Studios 2018
Mixed by Dean Garcia
Mark Wallbridge Guitars Bus Stop Voice Electronica and 3D Cluster Drones
Dean Garcia Bass Drums Guitars and Programming

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