
Unfeeling - Held Under [Chthonic Streams - 2020]Unfeeling is the dark ambient/ hazed ‘n’ slurred industrial project of NYC's Derek Rush( Dream Into Dust, A Murder Of Angels, December). Held Under is the projects first release, and it comes in the form of a digital download, which takes in four tracks of murky 'n' woozy darkness. On the project Bandcamp we get this description about the release ‘Held Under was created only in the early morning hours, in darkness, while still groggy from the effects of sedatives used to treat insomnia’, and there is no doubt the whole thing feels both oppressive and gloomily hazed.
We kick off with “Subdued” and this just over twelve and half minute track is built around a churning mixture of dull droning drags, muffled scrapes and blunt texturally worming’s. Together these elements build a grimly lulling track, that has an almost underwater feel to it- which of course nods towards been groggy from sedatives vibe.
Track number three is entitled “Metabolic Deceleration” this slides in at just under the ten-minute mark, and is built around sluggish and greyly churning and slowly glitching machine loops. These Rush lets stutter, slide and dragging into each other to create a feeling akin to been stuck on an endless shadowy conveyer belt that’s feeding you through an abandoned factory. Lastly, we have the very fitting named “Slow Breathing” and we get near ten minutes worth of muffled and rattling texturing, with a backdrop of grey drone and distant hiss. If the last track was going round on a factory convey belt, this is slumped in the corner with dust and spider webs slowly falling onto your weary face.
If you’re in the mood for sluggish and numbing sonics that sit somewhere between oppressive ambience and pulled out industrial grimness, then Held Under will be for you. Head over here to check it out/ download.      Roger Batty
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