There’s a lot happening in the five tracks that make up Rabbits, the latest from San Francisco’s Brume. Like, a lot. Dense and downtrodden but still downright delightful, Brume bring light to the dark with their unique brand of Doom for their Magnetic Eye Records debut.
“Despondence” glimmers and shines with Jamie McCathie’s careful pluckings making way for Susie McMullan’s almost whispered vocals setting a serene scene before it all comes to a head and a flood of riffs from McCathie and McMullan’s bass merge with Jordan Perkins-Lewis’s distant drumming. “Scurry” is modern Doom at its’ best, built from some seriously slick Sludge from McCathie as McMullan belts out a performance that’s equal parts epic and expansive. Later within, Perkins-Lewis’ drumming lays out a special kind of groove for the vocal coupling of McMullan and MCcathie that provides a haunting contrast for the heavy ass soundtrack underneath.
“Blue Jay” stands out as an aural oddity with strings setting a decidedly different tone and an eerie piano melody giving the overall feel that of a Dannye Elfman-scored Tim Burton project mixed with an amalgamation of the iconic themes of either The Exorcist or Phantasm. McMullan’s atmospheric delivery drifts within the ether and flows in a ghostly manner throughout as this baroque cabaret continues its’ compelling journey.
Then there’s “Lament” which is complex yet cathartic. So complex that I had to pause it several times during the opening salvo to make sure that something else wasn’t playing in any one of my other open tabs as Perkin-Lewis’ performance is so intrinsically intricate. McCathie’s guitar work is hypnotic while McMullan channels the heart and gypsy soul of a ’70’s songstress a la Stevie Nicks or Ann Wilson until the song crashes toward a Goes Cube-style finale before McMullan’s clean guitar line returns to end it all.
“Autocrats Fool” switches between these subtle pummels from Perkins-Lewis that evoke a tribal feel and this huge wall of sound from McCathie and McMullan’s guitar and bass work respectively until they all come together for this lush soundscape that permeates the closing minutes leading to a stunning conclusion.
Rabbits is the final Magnetic Eye Records release of 2019. You should celebrate that fact by clicking here to pre-order your copy now! For the latest on Brume, including upcoming tour dates, follow them on the socials by clicking here or here.