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Heron Oblivion show their collective mastery on the sprawling and encompassing "Your Hollows"

05 February 2016, 11:45 | Written by Ben Lynch

Emanating from a series of jamming sessions at an improvisational unit called Wicked Mace, Heron Oblivion is the creative project of a series of veteran performers based around the US.

Fronted by Meg Baird of Espers fame, the band also draws on the talents of Ethan Miller and Noel Von Harmonson from Comets on Fire and Charlie Saufley of Assemble Head in Sunburst Sound. A quartet to pique the interest of even the most absent of music fans, the band announced their ambition from the off - their first proper gigs in support of The War On Drugs in 2014.

Following their signing to Sub Pop in early 2015, Heron Oblivion have since made public their album intentions with the release of the erratic and intense "Oriar" towards the back end of last year, a track which turned out to be an exposition in forthright psychedelia. Having since toured with the likes of Kurt Vile and Cass McCombs, the four-piece are now treating us to another delight from the forthcoming record: ‘’Your Hollows’’.

Opening with a more folky aesthetic than its predecessor, ‘’Your Hollows’’ is unable to refrain itself completely from delving into a more sprawling, encompassing experience.

From an initial foundation comprised of Baird’s distant vocals and clean, slightly ominous guitars, the track evolves into an erratic mesh of distortion around the four minute mark, harking back to the band’s early improv days and Miller and Harmonson's more noise-orientated background.

Arranging such a transition and making it appear this seamless certainly requires an experienced touch, as Heron Oblivion accompany us deeper and deeper into a state of euphoric chaos. As we ride into the six minute mark, the twin notions of exhaustion and fulfilment fight over an ascendancy as the track reaches its natural conclusion.

As enveloping as any great psychedelic release should be with an extra layer of grit thrown in for good measure, ‘’Your Hollows’’ is an enthralling single composed by true masters of the genre.

Heron Oblivion' self-titled debut album is released on 4 March via Sub Pop.

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