3 out of 5

Label: digital self-release

Produced by: Aryn Dalton

Moody as hell surf rock, Aryn Dalton’s and Jason Mullins’ Trieste recorded In Last Light “in a cinder block room with archaic and troublesome devices,” and now you’re pretty much armed with all you need to know.

…Which is true, and perhaps ultimately this EPs limitation – once the vibe has been established, there’s really not much surprise – but the duo also avoids leaning into “moody surf rock” as a kind of put-upon affect: there’s a casual calmness to the gloom and doom that has a comforting nature to it, making the approach feel organic, having grown from Dalton and Mullins stumbling into each other with instruments and common interests. And at its best moments, such as on opener Snake Party, Trieste lets their sound “blossom” into an intensely meaty -core subgenre of one variety or another, somewhere along the Codeine axis of slow but heavy rockers. You’ll also notice the mention of synths in the instrument list – the group’s not avoidant of adding some glimmers of light in the darkness, which adds to that organicness: despite the mood and pace, In Last Light can be lightfooted on the pedals, gentle on the strings. It’s compelling.

But: also arguably doesn’t push that agenda far enough. As mentioned, you pretty much get what you get from the start, and that calmness can also be interpreted as part of staying that course. Still, that not a bad approach when it’s just an EP worth of material; certainly you’ve earned enough ear-time from one listener to merit their return for subsequent albums.