Grouper – Parking Lot

On her last album ‘Ruins’, Grouper, aka Liz Harris, decided to swap her usual, characteristic layers of fuzz and looping guitars in favour of something different: an upright piano. Her upcoming new album ‘Grid of Points’ was written in a week a half in Wyoming, stopped only by a high fever. Despite being composed in a short space of time though, the lead track from the record doesn’t suggest feverishness but instead a stark sense of intimacy.

‘Parking Lot’ continues the path set out by ‘Ruins’, seeing Liz performing solely alongside piano. Despite there only being two elements here though, it’s deeply atmospheric, a sparse track made textured by echoing layers of reverb and multi-tracked yet airy vocals. It evokes emotion and a sense of melancholia with its wistful melodies, but also in the spaces in-between, the muted, almost silent cracks between passages. This is a haunting yet beautiful return that encourages the listener to immerse themselves within it.