Promising a post-rock sound that pairs the darkest of darks with a certain lightness, EIMURIA is the new album from Bank Myna.

By Graeme Smith

Combining some theatrical rock riffs with sultry and smouldering vocals, there’s a touch of the classic about EIMURIA. At times it feels psychedelic, at other times, it feels completely indefinable.

Not scared to get stuck right in, we get the reverberating riffs of opener No Ocean of Thoughts. From there, the album doesn’t let up, indulging in tracks that take their time to unfold, sometimes over twelve or thirteen minutes.

Things build powerfully through Burn All the Edges, making it clear this album is not run-of-the-mill. It’s at once dark and bright, invoking the ambience of post-rock acts like Godspeed! You Black Emperor and the heaviness of doom metal.

Elsewhere there are minimalist moments that truly linger like The Shadowed Body – you can easily visualise the shuddering of each bass string as it’s played while terse strings add tension as it builds to a desperate spoken-word climax. The Other Faceless Me is Bjork-esque and the album ends with the long, lingering, chanting finish of closer L’implorante.

Bank Myna are the Paris, France-based collective of Maud Harribey, Fabien Delmas, Daniel Machón, and Constantin du Closel.

EIMURIA was recorded in a live setting opening its compositions up to spontaneity. It’s out now, available to buy as a digital album or on 12″ black vinyl via Bandcamp. You can give it a listen below.