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Infant Island

Obsidian Wreath

Written by: AP on 20/01/2024 12:36:06

A new year is often synonymous with new discoveries, and 2024 promises to be no exception. Barely a week had passed before I unearthed one such band from the depths of my inbox by way of the third and final single, “Kindling”, from their new album, which delivered an intense and invigorating blend of screamo and blackgaze. I was immediately intrigued, and made an emphatic note to give the record a spin once it arrived in earnest the following week… which brings me to this comeback review, one that I hope might restore my writing rhythm from years yonder. “Obsidian Wreath” is Infant Island’s fourth full-length offering thus far, and whilst I have regrettably been unaware of the Virginian quintet’s existence until now, a quick media survey suggests they have been critical darlings ever since the release of their self-titled début album in 2016.

The five musicians thus had a reputation to uphold when they envisioned this new outing, and as such, they waste no time in galvanising the listener with the opener and first single “Another Cycle”. Reverberating strums of clean guitar offer a brief moment of pensive calm at first, until the drums kick in, distortion is dialled up, and the shrill screams of vocalist Daniel Kost pierce the instrumentals, revealing lyrics flush with elusive poesy. It would not be amiss to liken this song to Deafheaven, whom Infant Island cites as a major influence, with both the shrill vocals and the warm, heaving textures of Winston Givler and Alexander Rudenshiold’s layered guitar tracks harking back to that group’s iconic “Sunbather” album. In a sense, “Another Cycle” and the following “Fulfilled” both play like more compact, urgent and unhinged renditions of material from that record, a thought lent more weight by their ending in savage breakdowns instead of the soaring crescendos of their idols. Perhaps a more fitting comparison for these songs would thus be Portrayal of Guilt (who are themselves protégés of Deafheaven), albeit with more light shining through the cracks.

Music as intense and confrontational as this always tends to be teetering just on the precipice of becoming stifling, but the five musicians of Infant Island manoeuvre themselves around this pitfall by offering shrewdly timed moments of respite, and by maintaining a high level of variety across the ten tracks that comprise “Obsidian Wreath” and its 36 minutes of runtime. Haunting, dark ambience and echoing growls by Kost provide an early interlude in “Found Hand”, whilst the mid-album pair of “Veil” and “Amaranthine” move between the uplifting sounds of shoegaze, tempestuous eruptions of post-black metal, and delicate acoustic soliloquies, consolidating the two into a highlight juncture of the record. And as a deserving finale, “Vestygian” ramps up the band’s level of ambition in a massive orchestral build-up that sheds light on the many talents and penchant for musical composition possessed by drummer and multi-instrumentalist Austin O’Rourke. Indeed, he is credited for not only contributing the rich percussion arrangements that form the basis of this album, but also accordion, cello, mandolin and piano, as well as for being the recording engineer in charge of the entire thing.

What both the final track and the preceding, aforementioned “Kindling” also tell me is that Infant Island thrives on these more ambitious compositions. The unbridled discharges of skramz-y indignation in the quintet’s more urgent cuts have their own merit and above all, they are certain to cater for some seriously energetic live performances. But it is the Virginian band’s knack for subtlety, temperance, and lush soundscapes that cements them as an if not groundbreaking, then at least a torch bearing screamo outfit that is going to be on everyone’s lips by the end of the year.

Download: Another Cycle, Veil, Amaranthine, Vestygian
For the fans of: City of Caterpillar, Glassing, Portrayal of Guilt, Respire
Listen: Facebook

Release date 12.01.2024
Secret Voice