Our friends at Post. Recordings have emerged as a premiere source of forward thinking post-adjacent music, bringing us some of the best in the genre in 2019 such as Old Solar’s SEE, and Glacier’s smothering No Light Ever. We’re thrilled to premiere the full album stream from one of my new favourites from their repertoire, the wonderfully named Colin Phils. Trust/Fall expands on their tasteful blend of math rock, post rock and indie/emo with their strongest and most consistent material to date. To me, two of the things math rock and post rock bands struggle with the most are constraint, and a combination of song-writing and replay value. Here, Colin Phils’ has nailed those aspects with flying colors.
On first listen I was increasingly moved by the places this album goes. On subsequent listens, that thrill has yet to subside. From the syncopated head-bobbing grooves of their single “Frenemies”, to the heart wrenching emo-inspired “Fin”, Trust/Fall covers the gamut of great post/math with vocals. Vocalists Ben and Karyn feed off each other perfectly in a way seldom heard in this style. They meticulously pick and choose their vocal features in a way that won’t distract from more instrumental minded post-rock listeners.
Instrumentally, their ability to mesmerize with complex tapping riffs, and moments later burst from the seams with passionate energy feels effortless and natural. They capture the pensive and calming highlights of your American Football’s, and but with a more varied creativity of a Pretend. Combine that with more of the peaks and valleys of post-rock and a surprising amount of passion for an all-around complete listening experience.
In this climate of isolation and social distancing, many of us will turn to music to cope and self-reflect. It helps having music that you can submerse in that reflects the troubled worry we feel, but that also soothes and comforts like a safety net. It lets you feel that pain, like on “I Love You”, an ode to Ben’s mother who passed away in 2017, while at the same time exploding with catharsis. In times like this we need that catharsis, to not sink ourselves beyond relief. Take some time out of your day to console yourself with this full album stream from Colin Phils, and purchase Trust/Fall from Bandcamp and physical copies from A Thousand Arms, out March 20th.