Album Review: Fait - Atmosphere

A contemporary orchestral piece, Elise Higgins' solo project is a ponderous and captivating example of instrumental art-rock: complex but never too busy. Swelling between moods and moments with satisfying shifts in tempo, Atmosphere traverses a haunted, cinematic terrain. Featuring jangly guitar and rumbling bass, subdued opener Koto is a particularly fluid, slow-motion soundscape. Gently edging towards a glimmer on the horizon, it flows seamlessly into Slow Glow, which introduces more pounding drum patterns. But it's the grungier Surrender To that really opens the floodgates, pulling off its dynamic shifts with aplomb.