Review: Lore City ‘Under Way’ EP
Since having the opportunity to review 2021s Participation Mystique, I have been watching very closely for anything coming out of the Lore City camp. Being given the opportunity to get involved in reviewing the upcoming EP release Under Way was too good to miss, so I jumped in, knowing it would be something incredible.
Considering Participation Mystique made it into my top ten of 2021, the anticipation for this new material to be on a par, or exceed previous work, was very high indeed.
What I love about two-piece Lore City is that they are so completely removed from everything else that’s out there right now. They balance my life musically, and without them, things would definitely be considerably darker indeed. The mix of trippy ambience, and chanted mysticism really does something for me, that I just don’t get from other music.
I specifically recall the track I Know You Know, a particular stand-out from last year’s album, and even now, all this time later, it’s still a firm favourite, getting regular rotation on the Beamish house record player.
So, all this time later, to take on the challenge of reviewing a simple two-track EP is as daunting as it should be simple. After all, it’s two tracks, hardly an opus filled with eight or more absolute floor filling riot fests, so keeping it short but sweet should be the name of the game.
Well, yes, it is really. But not because it’s any less as full bodied than most other bands album’s which have come out this year, but because it fits so snuggly into the Lore City brand, that it would be a wrongdoing to the artist to make any less of it than it is.
The swathes of sound hypnotically roll in and ease off, and it’s absolutely sublime to feel…
Let me clarify, while this does feel like Lore City, and if you have searched them out, you should understand what I mean, it is still a nice evolution, without straying too far from the path. To dissect the EP essentially is to say one track has an ethereal vocal in the mix, and the other is instrumental. That being said, this is more than just one with a singer, and one without, as the feel, texture, and emotional experience is completely different between the two tracks.
Opener Animate is exactly that. It’s an animated Lore City, playing with ambience and mood, tickling at something spiritual, without pushing anything too suggestive. A pensive start leads into a hypnotic and trance like soundscape. It’s beautifully primal, without being pompous.
Yes, it feels quite eastern in its vibe, but it’s more than that for me, it has a real mystical feel and implores a sense of transcending. This is Lore City at their finest, and even after twenty or thirty plays, it evolves upon each listen. What’s going on here is so calculated and thought out, that it’s as enthralling as it is enchanting.
Very Body is, by its very nature, a completely different experience indeed. Without the inclusion of vocals, it is left to the listener to interpret the narrative, and for me personally, it ebbs and flows, like the turning of the tide. Not aggressively, but more so like the gentle waves rolling in, and easing out, on a calm summer’s day, like the very heartbeat of the planet.
The swathes of sound hypnotically roll in and ease off, and it’s absolutely sublime to feel. And that’s the thing with Lore City, and their music, it’s an experience. It’s a feeling, and it’s a mood. Auteurs of their craft, every single element is carefully thought out, and placed, and the end result is truly wonderful to hear.
The want for more is always there with Lore City, and that’s how these two tracks bitterly leave me, but like the most beautiful relationship, its strength is leaving you wanting more. If this EP is the shape of what’s coming next, then it’s going to be a very long, anxious and excited wait indeed.
Label: Lore City Music
Band Links: Official | Bandcamp | Twitter
Scribed by: Lee Beamish
