With ‘Pastoral Light’, enigmatic Swedish post-psych quintet Den Der Hale have crafted an album that transcends the ordinary, inviting listeners on a journey that delves into the intricacies of human existence and our relationship with the natural world – the proliferation of mankind and its impact on the environment. Known for their boundary-pushing soundscapes – melding diverse inspirations into a seamless and experimental sonic journey, itinerant rhythms and atonal melodies are filtered through heavy effects, harsh layers of noise are contrasted by animate bass lines and propulsive percussions. In this seemingly chaotic amalgam, there is always a red line, and often each musical output becomes a synthesis, a whole. ‘The Horse From Turin’ was inspired by Bela Tarr’s film ‘The Turin Horse’ – the title refers to the whipping of a horse rumoured to have caused the mental breakdown of philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. Atmospheric track ‘The Frail’ was written during recording, and features custommade instruments – “To achieve the eerie atmospheric drone that underpins the entire song, we created a very long bass string which could be used percussively with a contact microphone, and as a bow. We experimented with a steel wire attached to different points in a room, until we found the proper length and tension to get the correct pitch.” ‘Donkey Skin’, another early composition, also draws from cinema. “The song takes its name and lyrical theme from the eponymous French film from 1970, and although it was considered to be a fully acoustic track, the dreamy atmosphere of the film soon bled into the songwriting, deciding a more effect-driven and ethereal sound.” Serving as a plea to natural forces for redemption, ‘Pastoral Light’ is a profound musical journey that will leave listeners both spellbound and reflective.