It takes a special breed of band to be able to bring forth any brand of dark psychedelia for simply how difficult that is to achieve in even some of its smallest forms, and it can oftentimes feel as though the most worthwhile creations of dark psychedelia are from sources and styles that we would least expect it. Post-punk seems like an okay place to start, but add a well-matured gothic layer on top of that alongside gripping musicianship and we instantly have an combination that is immensely compelling in the right hands. In just two tracks, Murderbait shows us just how wondrous such a concept can be without any wasted time across a mesmerizing 16-minute runtime.

No matter what style you’re performing or whoever it is you’re talking to, it’s always hard to make a statement with two tracks with it being even more difficult to make it so gripping that the listener finds themselves revisiting the piece over and over again. In no small way with virtually no room for error and a tremendous sense of the goal that they had in mind, it is with the whole of “When the Sun Goes Down, It Goes Down Forever” that Murderbait has crafted a dark post-punk world that is just as dense and it is expansive in its sound while still being extremely evocative as the lyrics are clear as could be and the very touch of the album intoxicating. The atmosphere that permeates both of these tracks really immerse the listener in a way that post-punk can strive for all it likes but only the exceptional bands are able to pull it off even half-well with any given moment pulled out of this offering being more than enough to prove that not only is Murderbait an exceptional act of their style, but they take it so much further than many of us would even dare to hope to see. There’s true power of a sublime nature that’s laden throughout the entire of “When the Sun Goes Down” in such undeniable potency that it was impossible for me just to listen to this once or twice, and it wasn’t long before I found myself hours deep in an EP that’s far shorter than what many of us would expect to get such a reaction out of but I could not help but to succumb to Murderbait’s immobilizing and compelling spiral of heartfelt art and dark imagery.

An effort like this is the sort of thing that I would normally tag the word “humble” onto for its length, but there is nothing humble about this creation in its execution as it is opportunistic, calculated, and immensely bold for all that it accomplishes in such a short amount of time where most others can hardly achieve much of note. It makes for the kind of material that the realm of post-punk could always use more of with its gothic themes and dark visages that really move the soul with the very essence of “When the Sun Goes Down” being more than enough for the entity that is Murderbait to be immensely respected by its peers.

“When the Sun Goes Down, It Goes Down Forever” is out now on 10″ vinyl via Sentient Ruin Laboratories!

LISTEN to “When the Sun Goes Down, It Goes Down Forever” on Bandcamp here.

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