HANDS welcomes Shrouds, the brainchild of Amsterdam native Thomas Bruning who stirred quite some attention with a couple of EPs and remixes and locates himself in the no-man's land between industrial and techno, spiced with some rather sinister leanings. This self titled first full time album is a heavily atmospheric crossbreed of dark and dreamy worlds (albeit full of anxiety) with outbursts of commanding rhythms taking over and pushing the album’s story-line into unexpected territories.
The 45 minutes of “Shrouds” start with the escapist lingering of “I Am Sitting In A Room”, slow rhythms and quirky, surreal sounds painting a picture of incoherent, weird thought. Determination grows with the increasingly lucid structures of “Listen to me” and “Morphed Being” before we reach more dance floor friendly bpms – although the experimental attitude of “Torn apart” or “Female Entities” is possibly not the first pick for the main stage. Less braindance attitude is sure to come though, with the trilogy of “Chaos Theory”, “I hope you find me” and the closing title “Who are they?” sweeping through with repetitive rhythms counteracted by a cacophonous collage of metallic sounds and otherworldly samples.
One can tell there has been a lot of diligence and attention going into the production, resulting in an album sounding mature and experienced, especially for a debut, but most importantly this is authentic and heartfelt, really carving a niche of its own. Take a peek beneath the shrouds!
Released Late May 2023 by Hands Productions.
Tracks Listing:
01. I Am Sitting In A Room
02. Listen To Me
03. Morphed Being
04. Torn Apart
05. Female Entities
06. Chaos Theory
07. I Hope You Find Me
08. Who Are They
English