Exitmusic: From Silence

Exitmusic has been getting a lot of buzz recently so we had the latest edition to our staff, MK, take a listen to their debut EP.

“With the sweet, seductive sound of a siren’s song, quickly delivering a powerful punch, Exitmusic announces their arrival in their four song debut EP, “From Silence”. Exitmusic traverses the spectrum of both beauty and power in sound. From the simple sound of a voice, drum beat, or guitar harmonics, the husband and wife duo, Devon Church and Aleksa Palladino, repeatedly build up and tear down, using simple layers to create a dense, chilling atmosphere, not just a song.

Opening with “The Sea,” Exitmusic presents themes that resonate throughout the EP, both in sound and in story. Starting with Palladino’s haunting seduction, “The Sea” builds up quickly with pounding drum beats and Palladino’s wailing. When she whispers “rip your eyes out tonight,” she reminds us that our senses are not to be trusted.

Created largely at a time when the duo moved from Los Angeles to New York, From Silence sets out on a journey to explore the themes of leaving worlds behind. The highlight of the EP, “The Hours,” begins with Palladino longing, “Give me back the hours, they’re mine to waste.” The song gives the EP its story and its ultimate optimism. While “The Hours” still relies on the simplicity found elsewhere, the sound is light, if not wistful. Palladino recognizes the beauty in L.A., perhaps for the first and last time, and the beauty in what the future has in store.

Not content to leave on a light note, the EP closes with “The Silence,” a haunting sound found throughout – vocals as just another instrument, deadened drums that command power, guitar harmonics – building up and tearing down again. With From Silence, Exitmusic has entered the musical stage with a powerful performance.  A full length album, Passage, is scheduled to be released on May 22nd.”

-MK, February 27th, 2012

Exitmusic will play at Union Transfer on March 29 with The Joy Formidable, and at Johnny Brenda’s on April 4 with School of Seven Bells.