How do you take a sound born of woods and fjords and take it into the streets among the city lights? California’s Cailleach Calling seems to have found the answer on their debut album, Dreams of Fragmentation. The band’s formula blends familiar atmospheric black metal themes with soundscapes more akin to post-rock — making for an enveloping, entrancing listen. Decibel is therefore happy to premiere the lead single of the album, “Bound By Neon.”
Tony Thomas, responsible for the album’s guitars, bass and synths says that “The title ‘Bound By Neon’ plays within our take on the cosmic theme. Rather than focusing on the dark, cold emptiness of space, we chose to approach it in form of the perspective of admiration for the universe.” He goes on to say, however, that the song presents “presenting a sense of loathing and entrapment for the modern human world.”
He also elaborated on the album artwork in a way that ties in nicely with the themes present in the music:
“To me, a city at night has always looked like stars, so I wanted to have it with an overlay of a galaxy to show the contrast, as if we built our civilization to mimic what is natural. Yet we remain confined to our cities, which are only a poor resemblance of the natural beauty of the universe.”
There’s something rather profound about that idea, which goes beyond just the album cover. Perhaps music itself is an attempt to replicate something unspoken about the human experience. It can come close and dazzle us with its likeness, but it will always be a shadow of what it represents. Something to ponder while you listen to the song below. You can learn more about the band at their Bandcamp page. Dreams of Fragmentation comes out on March 11, pre-orders are available both for the US and Europe.
