Expect the unexpected. The evolution of Jaye Jayle continues with an ambitious leap of faith in an electronic direction that’s a far cry from the hypnotic No Trail And Other Unholy Paths.

Release Date: 7th August 2020

Label: Sargent House

Format: CD / DL / Vinyl

Yet knowing Evan Patterson, it’s perhaps no surprise that’s he’s off on another trail. Springing from a request to join forces with Chelsea Wolfe and Ben Chisholm to create a soundtrack to a fashion show, Jaye Jayle boldly goes into unfamiliar territories. Armed with the Garage Band app, the result reflects the unconventional and obviously exciting gestation.

“I sent a track to Ben and he sent it back the next day with additional instrumentation, sounds, and effects,” Patterson explains. “It was wild. He suggested we make a whole record that way.” 

As far as lyrics were concerned, he talks of “poems, stories, and journal entries I’d made on my phone over the course of the year, ” and finding “things that rhythmically worked, and that’s how all the lyrics and singing happened. It was all gut instinct, improvisational, not meant to be full of hooks and melody. “

And that’s exactly what we get. An open-door policy to experimentation with creating atmospheres and plain weird sounds. The record’s title gives the added dimension with a play on the idea of a synthetic prison and alludes to the desire for artistic freedom. This is a record that draws parallels with being made under jail-like confines of quarantine, with Patterson and Chisholm having never been in the same room at the same time.  

The bouncy electronica might not be the most appealing noise (it’s quite irritating actually…), but Don’t Blame The Rain is a brief diversion from the claustrophobia and industrial ambience that seeps from the ten tracks.

What seems like an improvised lyric accompanies the light pulse on The River Spree, referencing Berlin, David and Iggy – clearly a reference point on the nature of combining touring and writing. All very Low/Eno… anything goes and anything did.

“I was lost so I stopped for a drink, Do you know where this hotel is? I asked the man tending the bar?”

The low rumbling groove on Guntime, the ambient sounds that wash in and out, the processed voice on Blueberries, the bare bones that remain starkly dressed. Surges and breaths of air, ticking percussion, the throb of engines and a sheer metallic sheen The Last Drive glows with a dark undercurrent.

There’s a genuine sense of discovery as sonic paths are explored with the infrequent voices that add a disturbing presence. A fine exercise in the excitement of creating art

There’s every right to feel disturbed and approach with an element of caution. For those who like to walk on the perimeter edges, Prisyn’s ethereal presence offers a chilling companion.

Listen to The River Spree here:

Jaye Jayle online: Bandcamp / Facebook / Twitter / Instagram

You can follow At The Barrier on Twitter here, and like us on Facebook here. We really appreciate your support.