Midnight Masses – Departures

The loss of loved ones both started and very nearly ended Midnight Masses. Established in 2008 by Autry Fulbright and buddy Jason Reece of …And You Will Know Us by The Trail of Dead (whom Fulbright later joined), the venture was inspired by the passing of Autry’s father; an artistic balm for a raw wound. The death three years later of friend and mentor Gerard Smith of TV on the Radio, however, almost closed the Midnight Masses chapter permanently, as Fulbright considered whether to proceed.

Now, after a lengthy hiatus, debut Departures arrives – but for all the cathartic heft of a song like All Goes Black (on which Autry’s vocals spill feverishly), the results struggle to cohere. There’s plenty to respect in There Goes Our Man’s melancholic march, or Clap Your Hands’ crisp groove – both evidence of the talent involved. But as a whole, Depatures feels unexpectedly tepid, often failing to scale the promised heights.