Colin Self – respite ∞ levity for the nameless ghost in crisis

On their first album since 2018’s debut Siblings, Colin Self returns with a vast, ecstatic take on grief; sublime in moments, rather limp in others. respite ∞ levity for the nameless ghost in crisis is immediately noticeably less confrontational record than Siblings, which often had the vibe of being pulled by the hair down a 200ft rubble chute, with the edges slightly softened.

Even on the wonky bubbling bass of Doll Park Doll Park, Self's vocal shops and needling synths don’t prick quite like they have in the past. Instead the record has a haunted, elegiac quality, particularly on Dissimulato and paraphrase of a shadow. These vaster tracks give Self the space to unleash their gorgeous, operatic vocals, and intertwine with the delicate arpeggios that surround it.

Self’s voice, beautiful as it is when given space to stretch out, is less effective when given more traditional songs, feeling cumbersome and sluggish. It makes the likes of Tip the Ivy and gaolbreaker’s dream in the record’s latter stages feel like they are constraining Self, rather than elevating them. It’s a shame, as it makes the album feel heavily front-loaded, one that in its tremendous ambition to do everything all at once hits less and less the longer it goes on. It’s certainly an interesting record, one that shows an artist pulling in many directions, desperately tying to articulate something truly profound, but it hits the heights it aims for in patches. 

Listen to: Dissimulato, gajo, Losing Faith