THE EXTENT OF DAMAGE

A brilliant construction, the latest album from Battlestations finds the band plumbing ever darker and more interesting depths than ever before. The structure is calm, dour, and yet subtly taut, subverting some of the usual post rock cliches in favour of a more unique longform churn. The rock instruments are further joined by electronic sounds and beats at certain points to climactic effect, and features plenty of plaintive strings. It all comes together wonderfully, creating a whole world of beautiful despair for forty five minutes, made so by excellent compositional and production choices and the band's visual aesthetic. It is simply a highly refined chunk of a mood that plays with musical tropes and is altogether an all-encompassing experience worth savouring.