28 September 2018

EXPLODED VIEW, the self-willed international ensemble led by the puzzling singer-
songwriter Annika Henderson, already made a lasting impact with their highly praised
self-titled debut album two years ago and are now back to mystify your sense of being even more. From the twilight lullaby opener onwards you enter their unreal sonic world
as designed on their new, second longplayer, entitled ‘OBEY. After the intro you drift into darksome ballad ‘Open Road‘ until ‘Dark Stains‘, with ‘Come On Honey‘ one of the most explosive songs on the fresh LP, jumps at you like a serpent. Suddenly and firmly.

By now you fully realize what’s really going on. Henderson is already walking around in your head looking for closed doors to open, looking to challenge your subconsciousness just the way mindfucker David Lynch loves to make you believe you’re on the verge of insanity with his nightmarish movies. Absolutely! That’s how Henderson‘s haunting and hunting vox captures your awareness, that’s how the whole hallucinatory orchestration vibrates like. At times (Sleepers / Letting Go of Childhood) it’s like if all instruments at play follow their own path before joining each other somewhere along the line, organically
and mysteriously. Obey is a perplexing and bewildering adventure. An enigmatic trip
from beginning to end. When the electro-droning closer ‘Rant‘ hit me for the first time
I still had no clue where I actually was, so I restarted the record instantly to find out.
That is what ‘Obey‘ does to you. It puts a ghostly spell on you. You just can’t escape. Exploded View‘s world is one of psychotherapeutic magic and seducing illusions.

Well, that’s my personal, ongoing, confused experience since the album was released yesterday. Discover the fascinating odyssey for yourself. Believe me, it’s much cheaper
and absolutely more effective than visiting your money-greedy shrink…

.
OBEY available via Sacred Bones  and Bandcamp or iTunes 

EXPLODED VIEW: Facebook – Instagram