NO-MAD & Barbtarbox delve into their two-track release with a deep regard for experimentation. The duo’s most recent effort is a post-ambient meditation, mirroring distinct creative processes against one-another to form a unified whole. LONGWEEKEND (2023) is a hallucinogenic backdrop for your contemplation. Using keyboards, samples, guitar and electronic percussion, the artists create a compelling and emotional work that highlights their penchant for exploration.
At the core of this recording are found-sounds and reverb-drenched percussion. Delicate loops, and pulsing piano churn over cyclical music, evoking comfort as soft notes fall into deep and distant echoes. Though sonic elements are intentionally shrouded behind the crackling glitches and hazy percussion, the compositions are sewn together with cascading guitars and sustained keyboard notes.
Humming refrains, melodious and persistent flow organically over mysterious sounds and words are masked behind dissonant refrains. The second track is bolstered by a mechanical pulse comprised of twitching hi-hats and rubbery bass. Gently plucked guitars shine through the background of a somber melody, displacing harmonious waveforms competing to be heard. Like clockwork, the sound of a whistle is heard. It calls out repetitively before it is removed from the soundscape.
Each instrument slowly fades out until all that is left are meandering guitar notes, descending to their resting place in a warm bed of reverb. The artists create an immersive experience while staying true to the experimental process, making certain to capture moments of intention alongside moments of free-form playing.
NO-MAD and Barbtarbox will have listeners enchanted by infrequent melodies, ethereal soundscapes and twinkling guitars. All of the sonic constituents serve a function as they occupy a space in time, encapsulating through exploratory sound what mere words cannot. As the musicians observe the ambient realm through the ever-changing lens of experimentation, they stumble upon audial tomes which will one day become sonic signatures.