Flowers in the Spring＜Opaque Pink Vinyl＞

Having evolved from a sprawling collective playing 40-minute drone-metal symphonies to a more pared-down avant-folk duo, Wrekmeister Harmonies explore yet another approach on 2025s Flowers in the Spring. With this album, J.R. Robinson and Esther Shaw return to instrumental compositions, layering guitars, electronics, and loops, and limiting each piece to four mixer channels. The title track is a meditative swirl of oscillations cloaked in heavy, metallic distortion, somewhat resembling Sunn O))) performing a Terry Riley piece. The oscillating tone happens upon some sweet melodies, and it ends up being the most positive, comforting music Wrekmeister Harmonies have ever produced. The following "Fuck the Pigs" is much calmer and starker, consisting of whirring drone and gentle guitar strokes. While it clearly isnt as sunny as the first piece, the repetition and softness make it feel serene rather than harsh and unforgiving. "A Shepherd Stares into the Sun" is a 21-minute embrace of light and warmth, with layers of smoldering guitar surrounding a current of wistful synth-strings. The whole piece seems to rock back and forth like a cradle, and its only towards the end that the guitars sound like theyre on the verge of cracking. "Flowers Variation" is a dark drift that sounds nothing like the first piece, and the faintly emerging synth lines strangely sound like theyve wandered in from a post-dubstep track. After releasing several albums that directly addressed loss, grief, pain, and isolation, Wrekmeister Harmonies seem like theyve reached the other side of darkness with Flowers in the Spring. Theres no way they can forget about all the tragedies theyve faced in the past, but at least now theyre able to stop and reflect on what they have, and what life truly means. ~ Paul Simpson