The latest from label Past Inside The Present is a free fall into sonic bliss with the collaborative Misty Memories. Bringing together for the first time artists From Overseas and City Of Dawn, this ambient/new age record brings together “nostalgic tape sounds, lo-fi strings, mesmerizing guitar loops, and Kévin(Séry’s) use of subtle vocal samples create a dream world filled with calm and stillness.”
From Overseas is musician Kévin Séry, while City Of Dawn is Damien Duque. These two combine their sonic strengths together on Misty Memories, a deep dive into heady soundscapes and healing vibes. Both have plenty of musical explorations under their belts, and working together with Past Inside The Present they’ve made the perfect zone out record.
“‘Misty Memories’ is a soundtrack for our memories and time passing by.” That is how Kévin and Damien sum up their first collaborative album, and when you hit play or drop the needle on this LP you get it. It’s a sound that is all consuming, like falling into a memory. Tracks like “Driftwood” and “Falling Leaves” swell slowly from their beginnings; the idea of a time and place blossom, followed by the emotions that come with those moments. It’s like looking down a long hallway lined with doors, and behind those doors are moments in time. These songs are sonic bridges that lead to those moments.
While mostly instrumental, there are vocals. Besides Kévin Séry’s use of vocals as sonic layers, Marine Eyes’ Cynthia Bernard offers her ethereal vocals in layered harmonies on tracks “Weathering” and “Waves Vanished”. These vocal moments put me in mind of post-rock/dream pop outfit Besnard Lakes, a band that flirts with ambient touches on their mostly pop rock records. You can almost envision glacial walls climbing to the heavens as these tracks play on. It’s quite stunning.
The 8 tracks that fill out Misty Memories take shape like early morning fog, and as the sun wakes they disappear as quickly as they arrived. Kévin Séry and Damien Duque use heavily effected guitars, synths, vocals, and tape loops to conjure swaths of heady noise and a sense of nostalgic melancholy. It’s a dichotomy of emotional riches, by finding yourself lost in the ether of memory and time. The joy of remembering a moment with a loved one, while finding sadness in knowing that loved one is gone. Misty Memories plays and emanates from that; mining your mind for those moments of both comfort and loss. In the end, though, there’s still peace at the center.
‘Misty Memories’ is out this Friday, 10/7, on Past Inside The Present. Order it here.
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