There is something new afoot in the Licorice Chamber camp, and it is apparent right from the start of “Feign,” which kicks off their new three-track ep, Remnants. As Layla Reyna’s voice leads a process of sonic osmosis, as the listener absorbs the gentle swirl of razor wire guitars and depth-charge bass, you realise that this dark, delirious, and delicious soundscape is driven by the full might of a human-powered drumkit. It is this bigger, more spacious sound, rather than the previous cool, clinical click-beat-energies of the digital world, that now drives the band.
The centerpiece of this sound, which they are now calling Doom Wave, is aptly enough “Heavy,” a song that is the perfect blend of their gothic intrigue and Cory Sorrentino’s mix of tribal and funeral drums. Not just sonically heavy, the song explores the emotional burdens that we all carry with us – guilt, memory, trauma, and self-condemnation – and how they, in turn, are part of our own evolution, reshaping us as they become ingrained in who we are and integral to what we are becoming.
“Never the Same” rounds things off by taking this balance of weight and dark delicacy, spacious beats and haunting sonics to even more dynamic heights.
Remnants is the sound of a band writing a new chapter for themselves. It is recognisably part of the ongoing story, but it is also full of new and exciting developments… something all good stories must have. And as stories go, this is compelling stuff.
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