Anton Pearson methodically maneuvers on Driving Through Belgium

Everything can seem like a blur as you go from point A to point B, crafting an experience where you might be left in a still posture while the tour moves you through scenery that passes you in the blink of an eye. It’s static, but it also lets your internal thoughts be processed as you keep looking ahead.

Inspired by his experience moving around Belgium during a tour, Anton Pearson - known as the guitarist of UK band Squid - immediately went on to record what he felt during said tour in a studio in Brighton, allowing his emotional thought process to translate in his debut record, Driving Through Belgium. Capitalising upon his melodic instincts as he allows himself to experiment within drone passages, carving out a balance between tones that sift through hazy drone and glistering embellishments.

Within the 20-minute introductory track, “Driving Past the Muscular Cows in Belgium”, Pearson brews an evocative display of emotions that surfaces within that touring experience. Warbling guitar notes reverberate as droning notes add weight to the first half. But it all cuts away on the back half, as muted trumpets, choppy glitch, and various synth nodes provide a clear resolution of the weighty thoughts being pondered.

Such tonal motifs continue to be explored further. “Teeth to Cut the Grass” leans on that harrowing drone that weaves all around, with enough space for the bleeping synths and keening organ keys to slice through that atmosphere. “Tintinnabulation I” and “Tintinnabulation II” offer sonorous compositions that differentiate themselves greatly. The former marvellously provides breathing room for the shambling glitch, bellowing synths, and organic piano tune to modulate; the latter utilises the whirring and shining tones to add intensity to its melodic crescendo.

Yet, despite its stirring beauty, therein lies the problem. When the album opens with a 20-minute song that carries its most detailed composition, perfectly tying the emotions with the process of touring, it leaves the rest of the album struggling to compel in its melodies and repeats tonal phrases that have been done more effectively in other songs. The airy tune of “Builder in a Bottle” and the muted playfulness of “Tern Daylight” certainly fall into these hang-ups, even if their shorter runtime provides respite from the lengthier cuts.

For the most part, Driving Through Belgium is an intriguing solo debut from Anton Pearson, whose instincts and experiments leap across bountiful waves of thoughtful melodic and textural notes that emphasise those blurry yet magnified emotions in moving from place to place. It might not always hit its evocative notes, but within the repetitive cycles of commute, it may just drive them closer to home.