Feathers - If All Now Here

Feathers, a four piece from Austin, Texas, originally coalesced around main songwriter Anastasia Dimou and it’s her presence that is very much at the heart of their sound. Her vocals are a key component in illuminating the dark corners and mysterious caverns of Feathers’ almost industrially electronic sound. Whether it’s soft and lilting as on ‘Familiar To Strong’ or overcome with abandon on the deeply intense closer ‘Welcome Possession’, it adapts itself to any style.

Feathers’ electronic sound is rooted in the mid-80s; the primitive, harsh clangs and synths of ‘Soft’ bring to mind prime period New Order and the gothic-tinged electro grandeur of Depeche Mode is never far away. There is though a real freshness to Feathers despite these obvious touchstones. This music is often bewitching in its own mysterious way.

At its best, the album throbs with an ultra harsh mechanistic intensity. ‘Believe’ is a relentless lurching and throbbing juggernaut, sensual and sinister at the same time. Here, Dimou’s vocals sound euphoric against the glammy electro stomp. ’Dream Song’, meanwhile, sounds like the sort of enticing dream scape conjured up by A.R. Kane in the late 80s, full of gauzy reverb-laden guitars.

Much of the lyrics concern imagery and strange mystical references. This is music designed to overpower and enthral. Sonically, it’s extremely impressive, and almost every song sounds massive. The cavernous sound suits the intensity of the band’s delivery. Perhaps the closest comparison to Feathers would be the dark rapturous expansive electronic sound of Zola Jesus. Indeed, Brian Foote, who has previously worked with Zola Jesus, produced two of the tracks. It’s more likely though that the band’s darker tendencies come from within, something deep inside that compels them to make music that ripples with insidious and alluring portent.