Review: Blanck Mass Returns With Electric Single ‘Starstuff’ As Upcoming LP ‘In Fernaux’ Simmers In The Horizon

Blanck Mass |Starstuff (Single Edit)| Sacred Bones Records

‘In Fernaux’ Release Date: 26 February, 2021

There’s certainly a lot to say about British producer Benjamin John Power: founder of experimental drone band Fuck Buttons and most commonly known under his solo moniker Blanck Mass. The artist is unafraid to – destroy – genre-boundaries as he traverses his work as Blanck Mass; often deeply personal and seething with luminous power, our anticipation for new work from Blanck Mass is always wonderfully overwhelming.

Leading up to his newest album ‘In Fernaux’, which was sculpted from a decade’s worth of field recordings taken during his travels – is set to drop February 26th via Sacred Bones Records. With great expectation, Blanck Mass has released his latest single ‘Starstuff’.

An encounter with a prophetic figure on the streets of San Francisco presented the question of “how to handle the misery on the way to the blessing.” This is the quandary of the impasse we now all find ourselves in, trapped in our little caves, grappling with the unease of the self at rest – without movement, without the consumerist agenda of “new experiences.” The possibility of growth, always defined by our connections with others, held in limbo. Sartre said that “Hell is other people,” but perhaps this is the Inferno of the present: the space of sitting with the self.

Bubbling, alien synths open the track with a chaotic hurricane of electronics swirling in a unexpectedly concise frenzy. An extraterrestrial soundscape immediately brings to mind the retro aesthetic of early video games; gradually flourishing with exquisite layers of electronic textures. The track segues into a striking crescendo as the fearless, confident hammer of percussion accompanies the dominant, post-rock-esque theatrics.

Rating: 7.5 / 10

Feature Image: Blanck Mass – Press Photograph