Reliquary of Dusk by Ov Pain

We know dream pop as a warm, inviting sound that we wouldn’t be surprised to hear on the radio. However, in the hands of New Zealand experimental darkwave band Ov Pain, shimmery dream pop vocals intrude on a borderline industrial space characterized by endless dimly lit and conspicuously empty catacombs. On their new record Reliquary of Dusk, menacing, reverb-laden percussion sets the physical stage, signaling that all subsequent droning synths and foreign sound effects occur in this massive stone room. Ov Pain wraps their music in circles, slowly descending further into their cave, incrementally adding elements and building tension before allowing the music to disappear into the far distance. Simultaneously, calm, static vocals play an evolving role as the context around them shifts, starting as a moderating presence before entering a role as a further perpetrator of Ov Pain’s incessant dark descent. Where exactly we’re going remains just out of sight; we dig further out of morbid curiosity, to see just how deep we need to go before our life-sustaining music leaves our souls forever.