Drawing from a range of post-punk influences such as Dead Can Dance, Swans, and Soft Moon, Melbourne’s ASCETIC: have delivered an impressively responsive release that captures the band’s collective obsession with fringe philosophy and new-age consciousness.
Recorded in 2011 with former drummer Vijay Singh, debut album Self Initiation is an eclectic composition of moody arrangements that perfectly shapes the album’s liberal themes of union and dissociation.
With August Skipper on vocals and bass, Saxon Jorgensen on guitar, and Singh on drums, the band develops a potent configuration of sullen rhythms and crooning instrumentals, with lyrical content and vocal despondence reminiscent of Joy Division.
Commencing with dynamic melodies “Pharmacy” and “We Are Not All Dead,” ASCETIC:’s moody sounds are further enhanced by intense tonal rhythms and soundscapes of heavy percussion, while lyrical expertise and expressive intellect is also refined.
While “I Burn” and “Uroburos (Up From Eden)” are cleverly formed narcissistic rants disguised with rolling beats of crystalline chords, the assertive synth patterns of “Religion” and “Before The Storm” ensures the tracks are further notable highlights.
Subdued atmospheres then take priority as the album decelerates, with “A Day In The Fields” and “Silver Circle” comparative to the emotive melodies of Disintegration by The Cure.
Though while the constrained vocal range of Skipper contributes to distinct feelings of sadness and apathy throughout the release, an overwhelming sense of success shines through.
Indeed, Self Initiation is a triumphant return for a band otherwise unknown, and a prime example of the undiscovered genius throughout Melbourne’s iconic music scene.
