Bleep

Chris Stewart takes his Black Marble project to Ghostly International, releasing his second album following 2012’s Weight Against The Door on Seattle’s Hardly Art.

Relocating from Brooklyn to the West Coast, the album documents a process of transition – his 80s inspired synth pop conveys its sense of nostalgia even more convincing than before. Taking cues from UK post punk from this era, Stewart paints his muffled drum machines and dreamy electric-guitar-led melodies in warm colours – to mesmerising effects. While ‘Woods’ glistening synths add a shimmering feel, ‘Iron Lung’ displays major key at its most melancholic. With its heavy low-pass filter and reverb effects, Stewart tender vocals become one with the washed out instrumentals – the finishing touch to his all-encompassing aesthetic of longing for the long gone.