The Fourth State is a long-form, evolving drone work from Sweden’s Andreas Rönnquist. It runs at just over the fifty-two-minute mark and features some rewarding shifts/ sonic developments.

The pro-CDR release appears on Ohio’s Fusion Audio Recordings in an edition of 100 copies. It comes presented in a four-panel digipak, which features fittingly moody cloud pictures, which go from pink and white, to grey and black.  Also included is a download code for Bandcamp.

Mr Rönnquist has been actively releasing material since the early 2020’s- to date, he has fifteen releases to his name.  This release dates from March 2025, and that year put out another three releases, so he's fairly prolific.

The single track opens with a slowly fading in drone- this sounds decidedly retro synth-based- think brooding Carpenter-like, or some of Ulver’s more drone-based work. As we progress this electro drag & purr element appears on top, with touches on reversed harmonics. As things unfold, we drift into more blunt ringing bound territory, stretched out simmers, and uneasy UFO-like hovering’s, etc.  

The track kept my attention throughout, with the whole thing having a worthy unfold. Sure, it’s not reinventing the drone wheel, but it’s well put together/ engaging enough. So if you have a preference for long-form/developing drone craft, give The Fourth State a go.