‘Overland Line’ by Mute Duo
Building on simple composed melodies, Mute Duo explores an ambient atmosphere ranging from sparse chimes to pummeling drone with a free, rhythmic fluidity. Exclusive premiere of ‘Overland Line’ from their upcoming Lapse in Passage release.
Chicago’s Mute Duo is Skyler Rowe (drums/percussion) and Sam Wagster (pedal steel). In 2017, they released their debut album featuring artwork by local artist/writer Dmitry Samarov, and in 2018, they released the Axially Grasp EP on Lurkerbias. Mute Duo also frequently plays improvisational shows with friends/guests, and have played with Ryley Walker, Bill MacKay, Ben Lamar Gay, Matthew Lux, Brian Case, Tim Kinsella, Bruce Lamont and others. Last winter, they opened for Ryley Walker on a three week tour that took them to Canada, down the east coast and through the southeast. Their second LP, Lapse in Passage, will be released by American Dreams Records on March 20th, 2020.
Put a clean pedal steel guitar on any recording and the final result is going to sound at least a little country. Chicago’s Mute Duo is comprised of Sam Wagster on the pedal steel guitar (Cairo Gang, Anatomy of Habit) and Skyler Rowe on drums and percussion (Rash, Anatomy of Habit) who occasionally add other instruments as supportive layers, drawing from influences like late-era Talk Talk, The Dirty Three, and the instrumental soundtrack tradition, landing somewhere in between ambient country and free jazz.
Their sophomore LP Lapse in Passage shows the duo excavating new territory – while their debut album landed them an opening slot on Ryley Walker’s December 2018 tour, the second is a step up in instrumentation, layering, and production. Beginning with the tightly-constructed, cinematic opener “Derived from Retinas,” Mute Duo make it clear their twang-encrusted soundscapes are as structured as they are sublime. Songs like “Canopy Bells” exhibit the project at its catchiest – its opening pairs Wagster’s pedal steel with chiming, melodic percussion that slowly cascades into a rollicking barn burner. “Dallas in the Dog Days,” on the other hand, is a slower, gentler piece that begins with a dreamy piano part before the duo’s core instruments appear.
Lapse In Passage is an ode to Chicago’s strong, supportive experimental scene, but it’s also a love song to community at a much smaller scale – that of two people sharing space, cherishing it, and brandishing their hope through act of creation.”
Jordan Reyes, American Dreams Records founder, writes this about the single:
“Country meets the cosmos in the video for “Overland Line.” Drawing from sources as disparate as planetary alignment, windows screensavers, video synthesis, and dance, director Todd Mattei has crafted a psychedelic visual companion to Mute Duo’s jazzy, spacious take on country western. Watching the particles blow from the band’s wake, the listener asks is that sand or stardust?”
Pre-order Lapse In Passage here!
Mute Duo Bandcamp
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American Dreams Records Bandcamp
