Gin Lane – Unpleasant Promises (Review)

Gin Lane Unpleasant Promises

The sheer will and imagination of someone who simply cannot put down an instrument or seek another avenue of sonic exploration in a completely different genre is something that simply cannot be trifled with. There are few things that can stand in the way of a musician who wants to try something new such that their vision cannot ever be called narrow or shallow in any form. Few can compare to the all that the mastermind behind Gin Lane has conjured forth in his many years of crafting woeful, soul-destroying music for us to lose ourselves in, but it’s with this new project that we’re taken down a route I never thought I’d see.

It’s all well and good to want to try something different, but when you go from something like black metal to a sound that can be described as some cross between indie rock with an unapologetic rustic but still nihilistic edge, it’s hard to imagine such a transition going well no matter who is at the wheel. But, Father W is no fool. It’s with baby steps that he is venturing into this new genre with the two tracks that are brought forth in Gin Lane’s debut of “Unpleasant Promises” that we see it start off on a surprising note. Even though this effort has just two songs, the foundation that’s been laid forth here for this project is the exact sort of material that one could lose themselves in despite the 13-minute runtime. The EP feels like the soundtrack to the dying breaths of some forsaken mountain town where the residents have been plagued by both themselves and larger, outside influences that turned the town on itself, creating a cesspool that eats its victim from the inside out to where all that’s left is a disgusting scene that truly simmers in its own filth in the evening sun. It quickly gives “Unpleasant Promises” a unique air that many of us simply don’t get to see in such a concentrated, precise form to really make this an engaging listen right from the beginning and one that begs to have a follow-up sooner rather than later.

Given the very skills and tenacity of Father W, it wouldn’t surprise me whatsoever if we were to see a new release from Gin Lane in relatively no time whatsoever. With all that he brought forth of “Unpleasant Promises”, it really tickles the imagination as to what else the new name can dish out if simply given some time, for whatever comes next will surely be a plague worth witnessing time and time again.

You can listen to “Unpleasant Promises” on Bandcamp here.

Track Listing:

  1. Empty Life
  2. Disposable Fright