Opener ‘Gloom and Dusk’ opens with the soothing sounds of the sea, including the mewing of seagulls over gentle, acoustic guitar plucking. This song is also one of two where Vermeulen is joined on vocals by one Sabina Knoll, who provides a warm counterpart to his own voice, adding a bit more texture to the song. ‘Would You’ continues in the same hazy, acoustic vain, which might be the one gripe you might have about this record. While the record does indeed flow seamlessly from its alpha to its omega, some of the songs tend to blend into each other maybe a wee bit too much.

So right on cue, the second half of third song ‘Soul Faced’ brings in more electric guitar which has this whale like sounding twang to it. It is one of the longest songs on display here, so it was definitely a wise decision to colour the sonic landscape with a somewhat broader palette here. ‘Embracings Relived’ sees the return of guest singer Sabina Knoll who takes a more prominent role here as lead vocalist. Her vocal delivery reminds me a bit even of Cranes‘ Alison Shaw in its sweetly shy, but melancholic innocence.

That innocence or maybe more accurately naivety theme is actually something that I find at several intervals. Remember the samples of seagull mewing on the first track. Later on the record this sampling is reiterated with the cracking of thunder later on in the record. These kinds of evocative, looped in snippets recall a more innocent time that many a modern band would shrink from including. Funus‘ attention to these tiny details really enhances his attempt to recapture that bygone vibe from a few decades ago.

‘Orb of Inner Voices’ is essentially a manifesto of Vermeulen‘s own musical vision, as each song is indeed a bubble of his own, quiet introspection. Surprisingly enough, the more intense tracks are stacked at the end of the record: ‘Never Heard’ displays a very nervous rhythm of clashing reverb which take the foreground over the vocals this time. Alcest fans will for sure love this particular song. Closer ‘On Unknown Wings’ is even a tad more heavy on the guitars, until it slowly meanders out of existence in an extensive psychedelic jam of howling wails in the second half.

In its subtle, purple hues ‘Mono’ sounds much more sincere and fitting as an outlet for Vermeulen‘s introspection than his previous blackened output ever did.

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