The sound is stark and minimal compared to their recent live shows which at times have bordered full-on prog-metal. In fact it’s even more minimal than the recent Black ships opus and reminds one of their classic statement of muted melancholy Soft Black Stars. I looked to the Southside of the door has Tibets voice doubled against Baby Dee’s simple repetitive piano melodies. The lyrics are classic Tibet featuring all of his staple motifs of resurrection, Catholicism, cats, apocalypse, Ect. Liles twists and warps Tibets voice and it’s occasionally joined by yelping little high pitched Tibet voices. Apart from this and a few minimal studio tricks the track maintains it’s stately beauty throughout.

She took us to the places where the sun sets is a far more bizarre encounter than the first. The piano melodies have a drama and urgency about them and after an intro of distant clocks ticking Tibets voice lurches shrouded in a horrific overdrive distortion that pannes and doubles his apocalyptic rant across Baby Dee’s almost mortified piano. Seriously scary stuff from the man who loves his noddy.

The Nylon Lion Attacks as Kingdom uses a similar but less aggressive distortion on Tibets voice and the piano has less doom about it. Some light keyboards are present along with a more complex mix of piano and voice that causes the melodies to swirl as if falling slowly into the maelstrom.

Suddenly the living are dying is a short revisiting of the melodies of the first track as if bringing us full circle. It ends with a little sound collage of horses hooves, screeching metallic drone and static noise from Liles.

Startling EP from the band who judging by the live shows seemed to be heading in less idiosyncratic direction. Not the case though, they have produced a frighteningly intense melancholic works that seems to combine the best of many different C93 eras. The forthcoming album is highly anticipated.