3 out of 5

Label: self-released

Produced by: Jason Ward (engineered by, mixed by, mastered by)

Releasing every three to four years, Chicago instrumental act Del Rey distinctly evolved their sound from album to album, starting very much indebted to Tortoise, swinging the other way into heavy riffage, and then sitting atop their own-built structure of lush, limber, occasionally dual-drummered compositions with A Pyramid for The Living and Immemorial on two sides of that – the former a bit more direct and post-rock, the latter rather indirect and experimental.

Across all of these, the group was a moderately hard sell to any instrumental rock fans in, or around, my musical circle, as Del Rey didn’t really have a “thing” to hype, except for sometimes using two drummers, but I credit the band for not abusing that. The relative patience required to appreciate their sound probably helped to burn me in as a fan, though, as I lived with most of those albums on heavy repeat, and seek out their slow-burn tensions, and the way the sound has weight but isn’t necessarily aggressive, or precious in any particular way: their music just kind of breathes.

But Pyramid and Immemorial were a very strong two-fer, and though I was eager for another Del Rey release, I’m not sure I knew what shape I expected that to take, since, given some parameters of the group’s style, those albums really covered quite a bit of ground.

Indeed, The Backbone of Night took a while – seven years – and is digital only; neither of these are things I should read much in to, but both support a feeling of the album being something of a step back. Its song titles suggest a journey of discovery of sorts, but the music isn’t as exploratory as before, hanging out in a realm between those last releases, with the mostly lengthy songs taking up Immemorial’s loping pace and structure, but the base, guitar-heavy sound of the Pyramid school. Furthermore, though, excepting some select peaks, as on highlight The Nine of Swords, Del Rey doesn’t seem as interested in making a clatter anymore, with the mix pretty even-keeled such that those double-drumming moments are unfussy (previously, you’d get a rush of controlled noise from those sections), and concluding sections of ringing chords are telegraphed far in advance. It is not an album of surprise or subtlety.

It’s still very much Del Rey, of course, just sounding like a version of themselves trying to keep their musical brains active. The reality might be that this group has been touring nonstop for seven years, but from afar, the impression is of Backbone of Night being another starting place, gathering up about twenty years of experience and cutting off the edges and clutter to deliver some solid songs. I’d admittedly wish for something more triumphant after the long pause, but getting something this confident and reliable is rewarding as well.