Sometimes, an album/band reach out and just grab you by the heart. Why should that be the case? Every time it’s different; sometimes, it might be the cover art which speaks to you. Other times it might be a single note or a refrain. Perhaps track names? Oftentimes it’s all of those together and an experience which can’t really be broken down into words takes place, a kind of melding with the intent (imagined or not) of the artist you’re listening to. That’s what happened to me with Heron‘s 2017 release, You Are Here Now. On the surface of it, it might not be immediately clear why exactly I fell in love with it; after all, I’ve been pretty critical of “cinematic” or “classic” post-rock many times on the blog.
But something about what Heron did on that album just grabbed me in indecipherable ways and set up shop in my heart; from there on out, I haven’t been able to step away from that album for a while now. And yet, I find myself longing for more music, for another step in what felt like a shared journey. Lo and behold, Heron appear to be slowly awakening from their two year slumber; the band have dropped a single, seemingly out of nowhere, titled “Splashdown”. This contemplative piece does a really good job at showcasing why I love Heron so much. There’s a pent up hope in there, layered with tons of melancholy, like looking at a bright clear sky and thinking about all the sadness that’s to come but that it will be coming, that you’ll keep going, in spite of everything.
The musical instruments and methods used to express these emotions are what you’d expect from Heron; delay laden guitars dominate the mix, backed by contemplative percussion and bass lines. The track handles the usual build-up/crescendo structure masterfully, not over staying its welcome too much while definitely providing enough meat on the bones, clocking in at nearly eight minutes. So, what does this mean for the future of Heron? Is more new music forthcoming? All we can say at this point is: perhaps. But we wouldn’t be forgetting the name soon and neither should you; “Splashdown” proves there are many things happening in the Heron camp and all of them good. We can’t wait to see what’s next. Head on over to their website to stay up to date as they slowly unveil their next album.