Pijn return with From Low Beams of Hope, a truly independent venture released under their own label Floodlit Recordings. Having previously collaborated with Conjurer on the brilliant Curse These Metal Hands, it’s high time we got to hear the follow-up to 2019’s Loss. Recorded not once but twice due to studio floods and lineup changes, this is an album long in the making and one we have been gleefully anticipating.
The album opens with a poem, backed by a gentle yet urgent instrumental build; a collage of voices backed by rolling drums that’s gone almost as quickly as it came yet sets the stage for the record perfectly.
It’s a very Godspeed! take on post-rock, embracing repetition and incremental change to stunning effect. The signature scraping strings and droning dissonance that have come to define Pijn are initially used sparingly, but the way they’re sprinkled throughout makes the wall of sound that much more gratifying when it finally hits at the 5 minute mark. As Our Endless Hours reaches its peak, we’re treated to a gloriously cathartic blast of sax and strings that soar over the rhythm section. This newly optimistic side of Pijn is an absolute treat to listen to, and wonderfully complements the album’s darker moments.
There are some beautiful moments of calm to be found in the spaces between sections, and this is where Pijn surpass the grandfathers of the genre by tying them seamlessly into the wider composition without clumsy lapses into silence or awkward key changes. The 4 tracks on the album are distinct, but within each song the changes flow so smoothly that 10 minutes can pass in the blink of an eye.
The layers of tape loops, beautifully recorded piano and strings, and spoken word that form the foundations of the songs all feel reverently placed and treated with the utmost care. Too often these elements are treated as disposable by bands, or used for cheap space fillers, but not here. Everything is so beautifully woven together that repeat listening is almost irresistible as our ears strive and strain to take in every exquisite detail hiding in the back of the mix.
“At times huge and bombastic, at others intimate and exposed, but always beautiful and honest. ”
With only four tracks at between 9 and 12 minutes apiece, From Low Beams Of Hope is an album that demands a time investment and the rewards for sticking out the full duration are rich, but we find ourselves just as fulfilled micro-dosing individual tracks. Just as the whole record ebbs and flows, peaks and troughs in all the right places, so does each individual song stand on its own merits.
Lead single On The Far Side Of Morning immediately lumbers into post-metal groove territory, and this is the song that sounds most closely tied to Pijn’s past releases. It sounds like a true progression from Loss, with the band embracing their doomy side yet contrasting it with moments of hopeful, melancholic yearning. From start to finish, this is a masterpiece, at times huge and bombastic, at others intimate and exposed, but always beautiful and honest.
This is a band that are unashamed of showing vulnerability, unafraid of letting a song breathe and unfold organically, and unshackled by any obligation other than to their own artistic vision. The maturity and patience of the songwriting is simply brilliant, and this record is a testament to the virtues of artists becoming truly independent and retaining control of their own craft.
From Low Beams Of Hope finds Pijn at the absolute peak of their craft and should cement their position among post-rock royalty. In a genre that can be ponderous and predictable, the band have found a way to innovate and rise above the tropes that can so often snare their peers. From start to finish, this is a near-perfect piece of art that demands and holds our attention through multiple listens and will continue to do so for years to come. Absolutely essential listening.