65daysofstatic: Heavy Sky EP

Recent developments in the sound of 65daysofstatic suggested a sway toward a more digestible dance-led music, away from the glitchier end of electronics and from guitar anthemia. They’ve always aspired to an epic scale that transcends genre or even critique, but that’s akin to the cliché of being the tallest dwarf. It’s heartening, then, that the Heavy Sky EP is surprisingly accessible. Emotional connections don’t come easy on these six instrumentals, but the chiming coda of “Sawtooth Rising” is thoroughly convincing after a small marathon of tense and melodic synth bubbling.

Rhythm is still one of their strongest tools, and they put it to inventive and declamatory use on “The Wrong Shape”, even if the melodic shapes are rather obvious. “PX3” makes one wonder whether they’ve hit a glass ceiling in terms of tension and release, but this is still an assured release. They might not reclaim the might of “The Fall of Math”, but this is a welcome reminder of the craft of 65dayoostatic.