Danny Peck - Where Hope Goes, Fear Follows (Self-Released)

Michigan musician Danny Peck is getting ready to release his latest work, an album titled Where Hope Goes, Fear Follows that draw on influences such as Mogwai and Godspeed You! Black Emperor. Previously going under names like dep and A Defiant Heart, the artist formerly known as both of these has reinvented himself and now uses his given name. The sound of Where Hope Goes, Fear Follows is also new for Peck, as he has ditched the rock and EDM of his past releases for a far more experimental, freeform electronic style with elements of post-rock thrown in for good measure.

Peck has a background as a software developer and engineer, and although it could be reductive to draw too strong a connection between his career and his music, there is undoubtedly something related to his analytical approach to songwriting. There’s an amorphous and continually expanding quality about tracks like the opener “To Rise and Fall” or the nearly eleven-minute long anthemic “Time is Not Real,” but nothing here happens without a reason, as if every twist and turn is crucial for the development of each song. By exploring ambience and space, Danny Peck has easily created his most profound and captivating work yet.