Drahla

Five years is a long time in music, which in some cases can only be a good thing. Take experimental noise-rock combo Drahla for instance. Having released their debut album, Useless Coordinates, back in 2019 to a fanfare of critical acclaim, it seemed like the only trajectory was up. Coupled with the band’s consistently frenetic live shows, Drahla quickly earned a reputation as one of the most exciting bands on the planet. But then came silence.

Well, not quite. A combination of logistical moves dictated by personal and professional circumstances gave Drahla the opportunity to regroup and then re-emerge with arguably their finest collection of songs to date. While founder members Luciel Brown (voice/guitar), Rob Riggs (bass) and Michael Ainsley (drums) remain, the addition of second guitarist Ewan Barr, plus regular contributor Chris Duffin on saxophone, has taken their angular musings on an altogether discordant journey that doesn’t follow any given template.

Indeed, Brown’s distinctive vocals make songs like “Under the Glass” and “Lipsync” instantly recognizable as Drahla compositions—which of course, is never a bad thing. The added mélange of sonic mayhem Duffin and Barr add to the already potent mix makes angeltape a melting pot of aural belligerence worthy of the record’s main inspiration, This Heat.

Where its predecessor bristled in a no wave furor like an embryonic Sonic Youth, angeltape is the sound of a band maturing in public. Coming to terms with themselves and adapting to their surroundings, wherever they may be. It’s also a record steeped in personal trauma, with Brown describing angeltape quite aptly as “controlled chaos.”

Former single, and song in three parts, “Default Parody” pushes its creators to the limits, while eerie instrumental “A” and the piano-led “Venus” offer an insight into Drahla’s ever-changing moods.

For a record that’s taken so long to happen (and many thought probably wouldn’t), angeltape is a triumphant return and worth every second of the excessively long wait. (www.drahla.bandcamp.com)

Author rating: 8/10

A record of controlled art-rock chaos, making for a turbulent but enthralling listen.

Landing five years after their debut, ‘angeltape’ sees Drahla make an intrepid return, cementing their shift to a much darker, tonally rich sound. It’s not without rekindling the best of their former work, though, with familiar existential questions continuing to permeate through avant-garde arrangements; “Until you reach resistance / How can you ever tell?” poses Luciel Brown in the opening line of ‘Under The Glass’. Placing opposing ideas and structures side by side, there’s an enticing juxtaposition that runs throughout the record. ‘Default Parody’ leans into the unfettered experimentalism of frenetic guitars and erratic sax lines, establishing an abstract take on grappling subject matter. Similarly, interspersed vocals emerge between bleary guitars on ‘Second Rhythm’. And while better executed at certain points than others, the band’s varied selection of instrumental textures remains a defining feature; from the riff-driven frenzy of ‘Talking Radiance’ to the minimalist, piano-led touch of ‘Venus’, there’s an inharmonious harmony that pervades. Clocking in at over five minutes, ‘Grief In Phantasia’ provides a decidedly extravagant finale; underpinned by writhing drumbeats and discordant guitars, visceral lyricism flickers between moments of adversity and liberation. An intentionally fervid record, ‘angeltape’ is one of controlled art-rock chaos, making for a turbulent, but equally enthralling, listen.

Drahla impressed with Useless Coordinates, a debut album with a title that reflected how unmoored they were when they recorded its careening experiments. On angeltape, they embody a sense of being overwhelmed even more eloquently by doubling down on the improvisatory post-punk and no wave that made their first album so bracing. Adding second guitarist Ewan Barr to the fold lets Drahla mine even more expression from their jagged rhythms and confrontational attack; along with Facs and PVA, they're among the handful of 2020s post-punk bands who are as inspired by the freedom the style offers as by its enduring cool. XAM Duo's Chris Duffin is just as valuable a collaborator as he was on Useless Coordinates, whether his wailing saxophone adds to the fray on "Under the Glass" or his tape loops give some air to the "Talking Radiance"'s metallic sparkle. Luciel Brown remains one of the most agile vocalists within this generation of post-punk acts, and though her breathy, alternately spoken and sung delivery might seem too light to hold its own among the churn of songs like "Second Rhythm," her voice skips around the heaving guitars and rhythms with ease. While it's tempting to call Drahla's music chaotic because of its furious intensity, it's more artfully assembled than ever on angeltape. Hearing each element of their music take a different path within the exploratory, elastic structures of songs such as "Concrete Lily" is a thrill; on "Default Parody" and "Grief in Phantasia," the band's gnarled interplay conveys the loss and trauma that called the album into being. Even though they lighten the mood ever so slightly with "Lip Sync," a collage of detached vocals and lurching blasts that's the closest they've come to a pop song, every moment of angeltape announces Drahla as a band worthy of far more attention.

Drahla – ‘Angeltape’: carefully considered chaos

This year, Drahla make their long-awaited return with their astounding second record angeltape. It’s an offering that was not only interesting for the Leeds-based art-rock experimentalists to make, but offers an intriguing world for audiences to explore with a similar curiosity that informed the songwriting process. This inclination to eschew conventional melodic structures and embrace uncertainty across their latest material gives fans an unfiltered insight into a challenging transitional period the band found themselves in following the release of their 2019 critically acclaimed debut, Useless Coordinates.

That blistering introduction, described as a “darkly affecting uncompromising listen”, along with the success of their Third Article EP from 2017, saw them share stages with Parquet Courts, Ought, Buzzcocks and several more. angeltape, recorded with Matthew Benn and Jamie Lockhart in 2023, is an altogether more introspective and abstract examination of the self: “The core is off kilter I’m sure / When you feel too detached for your own words,” Brown intones on ‘Lip Sync’, an early glimpse into Drahla’s extraordinary artistic evolution.

angeltape is an avant garde document of the events that unfolded over the five-year gap between records which saw a variety of changes – good and bad – steer their professional and personal lives down unfamiliar territories. Instead of succumbing to adversity, however, Drahla re-emerge sounding creatively rejuvenated and examine this time with deeply reflective perspectives. Over the last few years, they suffered devastating losses and expanded their sound with guitarist Ewan Barr joining vocalist and guitarist Luciel Brown, bassist Rob Riggs and drummer Mike Ainsley. These recent experiences – collective and individual – culminate in a sound that is considerably darker and tonally more complex and conceptual in its essence. Delving into themes of grief and trauma whilst simultaneously celebrating moments of sentimentality and support during difficult times, angeltape shifts between being a challenging, comforting and ultimately rewarding record for both artist and audience.

The addition of Ewan Barr to Drahla’s visceral and vital arrangements signaled a significant shift in the band's dynamic, ultimately reshaping the way they approach their angular arrangements. Crucially, it allowed Drahla to dismantle previous limitations and carve out new sonic avenues to experiment with form more than ever before. Brown, in particular, embraced this opportunity to find different ways to inhabit her contemplative lyrics. There was, of course, a readjustment period for the band as they came together to write angeltape in this new iteration which kickstarted a renewed creative approach. “There was an uncertainty and anxiety in not knowing how to rekindle what we had, and what we did have just didn’t exist in the same format,” Brown explains. “I feel this is apparent in the music; the constant changes, opposing ideas and structures, the overall energy and drive of the songs. I think there's also the sense of reconnection, encouragement and freedom, too. There's excitement borne from us finding something together again.”

Sonically, the exhilarating interplay of driving bass riffs and charged drum patterns provide a captivating contrast to Brown’s melodic spoken delivery. The enveloping atmosphere emanating from the quartet is heightened by searing saxophone accompaniments by long-standing collaborator Chris Duffin, who has featured on all of Drahla’s previous output. There’s an irresistible and unwavering potency surging throughout this masterful second record, one that stays with you long after you first step into Drahla’s enticing world. Furthermore, this exciting new chapter is anchored by the quartet finding a great source of inspiration in the joy of playing music together, as bassist Rob Riggs adds: “When the four of us are in a room, we each bring separate things to the table. Sometimes, a session would start a little bit disjointed but then we find a way where we could all interlock together for a moment in a song and then disperse again.”

Drawing some inspiration from experimental rock band This Heat, Drahla primarily found that their greatest motivation came from listening to and following one another throughout the recording sessions. “I think the process and inspiration for this album has been way more experimental and insular than taking on any external musical references,” says Brown, “This record feels like it was built on a foundation of insular inspiration.” This autonomous practice extends beyond Drahla’s music into the visual representation of their intense and immersive instrumentation. It’s almost impossible to listen to songs as intricately layered – musically and lyrically– as theirs and not imagine the spaces they exist within. Thus providing an awe-striking multi-sensory experience every time you spend time with a Drahla record.