UNSUNG HEROES OF 2022: SHEDFROMTHEBODY – DESTRUCTION / BREATHING / HEALING

(Andy Synn provides a short but sweet review of a mesmerising EP from last year)

As the grinding gears of another year begin to slowly spin once again, I’m going to be taking some time over the rest of this month – in between reviewing new and/or upcoming releases – to feature some of the albums and artists from 2022 that I wasn’t able to cover properly last year, beginning with an EP that I totally missed out on by dreamlike “Doomgaze” chanteuse Suvi Savikko, aka Shedfromthebody.

Considering that 2021’s To Hold the Ripened Sun only narrowly missed out on my “Personal Top Ten” list that year, I am slightly ashamed to have overlooked this particular release, especially since it continues the impeccable run of quality and creativity which began with the release of A Dead and Aimless Hum.

Compared to its predecessor, Destruction / Breathing / Healing feels ever so slightly lighter and brighter, placing more emphasis on the “Post-” and “-gaze” elements of the band’s sound in a manner somewhat reminiscent of artists such as Alcest, Hum, and Chrome Waves.

But try not to let this put you off or prejudice you against what this EP has to offer, as while the lilting, melodic guitar work and drifting bass lines have certainly taken on an increased prominence this time around, there’s still a dense undercurrent of doomy, distorted riffage (especially during opener “Lungs”) thrumming away beneath it all in sombre, subdued fashion.

And while Savikko’s elegant, ethereal voice remains a major selling point for this project, with her spellbinding singing on each of these four tracks continues to play a major role in their success, it’s always been the collective whole of all the instruments (including the vocals) working in harmony which has made her music so special, and Destruction / Breathing / Healing is no different in this regard.

Intriguingly, however, this shift towards a slightly more upbeat and “Alt-” influenced sound on “Giver”, “In Waves” (my personal favourite cut from the EP), and “Catherine Wheel” (named, one must assume, in tribute to the influential 90s Alt-Rock band of the same name) opens up a number of potential new pathways for the project to follow in the future, without sacrificing its identity or its integrity in the process.

So give it a listen the next time you’re in the mood for something that’s more “hypnotic” than “heavy”, but which still possesses – in its own way – all the power and presence of many much heavier and more extreme acts.