Beach Sloth

DVVLLXNS – Lxtny 7.3

               DVVLXNS’ Lxtny manages simultaneously be crystal-clear and completely mysterious. The sound is tender. It is absolutely sharp in its high-definition. Even though percussion and beats are used in the EP the ambient sounds really take hold of the imagination. Beats are just another element in the background. Melodies form out of these clouds of sound to provide a rather disorientating atmosphere. This is where the mysteriousness comes in, by refusing to pick an easy-listening form of ambience DVVLLXNS remains interesting for the duration of the EP. 

                ‘Litany’ the opener possesses a near-spiritual vibe with its wordless vocals. Here the anxiety is relatively low. In fact this may be one of the more traditionally ‘calm’ songs on the EP. On ‘Xochitl’ it takes a darker form, remaining unknowable and rather unstable. Percussion on here is particularly strong. Hand-claps reverberate throughout the song. Here they serve the purpose of building up the mood rather than to create a rhythm. Much of the track actually sounds quite industrial. ‘Entropy’ lumbers quietly. Lower register sounds (the bass, the quiet beat) keep it relatively interesting. Eventually the beat melts away revealing only the subtle hint of melody. ‘Espejo’ lingers around a single theme as it gradually builds up into an ominous cloud of sound. 

                DVVLXNS manages to infuse a late-night feel to these four tracks. None of these should see the light of day. They must survive in the darkness. Here there is despair. Hope never rears its happy end. Instead prepare for brooding music, well done.