Combining elecments of post-punk, post-rock and slowcore, Bare Wire Son is the project of London-born artist Olin Janusz. The band has a new album coming out on May 14 called Off Black, which was inspired by first-hand journals from mothers whose sons were killed during the famously-bloody WWI. Today we’re premiering the latest single from the album, “Ends Below.”
Considering the dark subject matter, it’s no surprise that “Ends Below” has similarly ominous tone. The song is built around a simple, pondering guitar riff, like something out of a Godspeed You! Black Emperor or Slint song. The song gradually picks up elements like cello, piano, organ and synths as the slow drum beat marches it towards a cacophanous crescendo. Like the tide receding after a violent flood, the song slowly fades during its middle portion only to come roaring back with otherworldly vocals and a stirring instrumental arrangement during its final minutes.
Off Black was created by Janusz while living in Poland in 2015. The journals that the nomadic artist used as the basis for the album were found in libraries as well as passed along to him by friends and family who were aware of the project. These journals composed the source material for every line and note of the album. German expressionist Käthe Kollwitz, who lost her son in the war and inspired a period of depression in the artist. Along with almost a dozen other musicians, Janusz’ wove this inspiration into the album’s 14 tracks.
Off Black Track List
01. Involuntary
02. Cenotaph
03. Saved Alone
04. CSD
05. Interlude
06. Ends Below
07. The Gore
08. Antiphon
09. The Bellows
10. Кампус
11. Fingernest
12. Heavy Grey
13. Red Glass
14. Voluntary
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