Austin-based artist Delicate Noise releases 'hence' EP

Ambient musician Delicate Noise (aka Mark Andrushko) returns with his latest masterpiece of cinematic sound in the form of hence EP. It follows on from five previous albums and yet again this four-track EP is saturated in mystery, spaciousness and imagination, which the artist himself describes as “best enjoyed with headphones, listening to it at night, with a glass of cabernet…”

While some musicians craft songs that fit neatly into the three minute thirty second status quo with clearly defined boundaries and limited interpretations, Delicate Noise opens up his musical world to extend beyond such previously defined lines. That’s not to say that this musician unleashes unbridled chaos either; his sonic experimentation reflects that of impressionist painters, even the artwork for hence EP recalls the lesser known Olive Trees series of Vincent Van Gogh.

As you stare into those wind-warped branches of the artwork, your mind’s eye will begin to add color and sounds through the EP’s first track “cacophony”. The listener will be drawn into the disparate and hauntingly beautiful ambience of this track; an alien soundscape that is peppered with static scratches and dropping, scattered notes.

Once ingratiated into the unearthly realm of this EP, you’ll move on into second track “mellifluous”. Its hovering atmosphere develops into a deeper resonance as the song progresses, portraying the mesmeric ebb and flow of waves crashing against the shore. The recording is smooth and effortless.

Third EP track “blatherskite” may be the shortest of the collection at just over five minutes, but it’s the most impactful. There’s a sudden alertness brought through the unpredictable piano interjections, which play off against the metallic intensity that grows and then fades. The listener is surely kept on their toes with this one. Delicate Noise closes your sonic journey into the unknown with “submontane”. It’s a sonorous deep dive into the shadowy underbelly of the artist’s cinematic style, where long, sustained sounds continually overlay one another. It’s an impossibly hypnotic listen and one that shows off he artist’s fine-tuned composition abilities.

Any listener will find themselves returning to these tracks time and time again and upon each listen there will be something new to discover within the subtleties and sophistication of the EP.