★★★★★
As Public Memory, Brooklyn’s Robert Toher, previously of ERAAS, makes gritty rhythmic electronica. The sounds he weaves on this subtly ï¬erce album are not deï¬ned by one genre. Instead, Wuthering Drum treads the line between ambient and urban grit, retaining a stark awareness of rhythm in its hypnotic and brooding dub sensibility.
On opener ‘Heir’, gnarly bass strikes against chimes; or is that breaking glass? The sound of the Korg MS-20 increases the signiï¬ cant dryness of Toher’s melodies. Just listen to the meandering outro of ‘Zig Zag’, which eases only gently, giving way to waves of percussive clamours. This dryness is not a downfall. The album is not outlandishly lush, but sincere in its riffs: here, frank melodies accentuate realism. There is little chance you’ll make out many of the lyrics. But Toher’s snarling tenor is no moody teenager’s utterance, rather an understated nod towards his awareness of layered sounds.
‘Interfaith’ is a darker embodiment of the themes of existential crises Toher explores on this album, as its elements weave round and round each other, creating a hypnotic state that seems hard to break out of.
This album is introspective, full of loops, and often references itself in riffs across its breadth. If there is one thing within Wuthering Drum that I can put my ï¬nger on, it is that this intelligent album is very much aware of its own existence.
