Review Summary: Lush and spacey post-rock from Thailand.
Inspirative is a Thai post-rock band originally emerging from Bangkok’s indie scene in the mid-2000's, with the band known for looping hypnotic guitar melodies against expansive, cinematic backdrops. It’s typical post-rock, so those crunchy, wall-of-sound climaxes are never too far away. Their latest album,
Invisible Bonds, continues this journey, weaving together lush synths and crushing distortion. It’s a cohesive effort and a great introduction for those new to the group.
Not that there are many
Inspirative newbies in China and their native Thailand, where the band has built quite the following through regular tours in recent years. Stylistically,
Invisible Bonds is a natural opposite to their 2015 album,
Mysteriously Awake. While the latter explored introspection and the interplay of dreams and reality, the former is more outward-facing and expansive, with a heavy lean toward the vastness of space and the relativistic construct of time.
Nevertheless, both albums are connected in a way that
Inspirative's other releases lack.
Invisible Bonds may follow the post-rock formula of quiet-loud dynamics, but one can only tip an ngob when it is composed and produced this well. Lead single “Follow the GPS” is driven by a simple, metronomic beat that characterizes much of the album, with distortion cranking up a few notches at the song’s midpoint as the drums punch forward.
Naturally inspired by the themes of space and time, there’s a gorgeous ambience to be found on
Invisible Bonds. Sharp synth stabs dance over droning guitar and muffled samples in “Wandering Evidence,” while “Black Sky” steadily thickens the atmosphere with a dense wash that builds beautifully and envelops the listener. Even on the album’s heavier tracks that ambience remains, adding weight from deeper in the mix.
There’s a notable confidence to the pacing of the record, with the ambience of “Wandering Evidence” following the face-melting climax of the album’s highlight and centerpiece, “The Last Journey.” Neither song develops with any urgency, so it’s a relief when the more immediate “Deja Vu” follows, with its playful melody and infectious fuzz. Heck, it's almost catchy.
Both the emotive album closer, “Behind the Horizon”, and the title track opener feature the familiar post-rock structure, with the former drawing together the album’s various threads in a euphonious climax as echoed keys play over a repetitive chorus of guitars and synths. Alas, a fadeout would have been perfect here, but the album instead finishes with an eerie, unsettling ambience that’s still rather fitting.
Invisible Bonds is not an album that will convert post-rock skeptics, though it’s not designed to either. Put simply, it’s a great addition to
Inspirative's discography - 49 minutes of well-produced, climactic, and atmospheric instrumentals from a band that deserves more attention. Yep, there’s something about them.
