Manchester’s Pool Art are a formidable duo. Their lessons in ambient dream pop and pervasive noise rock, captivate and wound in the best ways possible. Taking their next step forward, the two-piece christen ‘Gender Balance’, a fierce uncompromising mission for sonic exploration.
Testing the depths of their creativity Pool Art really put themselves through the ringer in a physically gruelling workout of pedals, tension-building techniques and tonal developments. The results though are astounding. Rather than becoming a churned out mess of weird sounds and enigmatic mumbles, ‘Gender Balance’ intensifies the feeling of resounding horror that their debut reeked of, but relays this in a more profound accessible format. This is the aftermath of the nuclear fallout, thuds of snare steady and anchor a teary blaze of resonant voice and guttural guitar.
It’s extraordinary the amount of feeling that has been poured into the playing of these two instruments, as we move through the song each transverse and build on the other’s meaning, this relationship requests shivers to multiply and emotion to materialise. Where an orchestra usually needs many to fill its company, here Pool Art create an equal effect with just two bodies. Bravo, this is why we never lose faith in the power of music creation.
‘Gender Balance’ is out now. Purchase the track from bandcamp here.
Find Pool Art on Facebook.
