Crystal Antlers
Untitled EP
Self-Released

There’s something perversely claustrophobic about Crystal Antlers’ untitled debut EP. The hoarse howl of bassist and lead singer Jonny Bell resolves every now and then into cryptic lines of comic book cosmology and LSD-drenched spirituality that punctuate long stretches of fuzzy, Velvety feedback over a pulsating organ. Instead of spreading out like space rock, Crystal Antlers mix flat and forward, enveloping Blue Cheer-style punk garage into a foggy haze, like on the rumbling “Vexation.” That isn’t to say Crystal Antlers don’t stretch out—like on the fantastic “A Thousand Eyes”—just that there’s no silence and no separation from the wash of white noise and bleed. When they do lapse into sparse prog on “The Owl,” it’s only for a brief intro before whipping back into the storm. The finest moment is a re-recorded version of their previous single “Parting Song for the Torn Sky,” an echoing monster that closes the EP. It’s a whirlwind of hiss and hum, grounded by a loping bassline that makes it hard to put on any other music afterwards—there’s no space left to listen in.
— Josh Steichmann