Here’s a recent(ish) C30/ digital release from Rien- the highly minimalistic textured/ walled noise project of Sweden’s Johan Strömvall Hammarstedt (Gamiani, J S H, J.S.H., Marsh Croft Coven, The Man Who Drove The Hearse, Ominous Recordings).  It takes in two side-long tracks of ultra-minimal noise making.

The release appears on Illinois Necessary Fixation- not sure how many copies were made, but you can still buy it directly from Johan here. The clear C30  features black & white textured-based shape labels on either side. With the sleeve is a double-sided monochrome affair- without its outside a dark swirl of thick paint on top of a white/grey-like snow backdrop. And inside a mesh of textured letters overlaid over each other.

Both tracks here were recorded in August of last year, and both are Untitled. The first track opens with a mix of slightly beaded pop ‘n’ snaps- these are spread out in a thin/ sparse, yet still taut manner- so while it pared back you can feel the tension & every texture hits when played on headphones. By around the seventh minute, the pace of the textures has seemingly sped up slightly- with one summoning up images of watching a sudden pile of dense soap bubbles popping. As we move on we get more grainy crinkles & snaps, added to the pops. There is certainly a shape/ structure to what is going on here, and when you fully/ wholly focus on the track you really do become sucked in.

Flipping over the tape, and the next track opens up with a tense/ fairly rapid line of grit snap & large pops. As the track moves on the pace, and the pops seem to lessen slightly as we get more grainy/ gritty flow occurring- but of course these once again are highly pared back. By the ninth minute, the pops have become more active again, and this time I'm getting images of stretched/tightened bubble wrap that’s been suddenly stabbed by needles.

The New Source Recording is another successful journey into very pared-back/ yet tense wall crafting from Hammarstedt. For those who enjoy rewardingly artful pops, snaps, and grit drags