Echotide - Into The Half Light (2017)

Beginning life in the dying stages of the sessions for Echotide's previous album; 2012's 'as our floodlights gave way to dawn'; the groups' second record 'Into The Half Light' had a long gestation period. Echotide spent a few years dormant, with the group's founding members, and on-running musical partnership Michael Gagen and Matthew Martin taking a few years to work with their other musical outlets. Following the departure of former drummer Geoff Irish and the addition of new drummer Samuel Mead, a revitalised Echotide began tracking 'Into The Half Light' in late 2015. Tracking for the album took two years; with the group stated on their album's preorder page that "we took our time, and made the record we wanted to make".

'Into The Half Light' is an album on a large scale, its seven tracks run a vibrant trajectory and a gamut of moods and emotions. As a whole it is a more streamlined album than Echotide's sprawling first album, and it showcases the group's revision and honing of their sound since the past release.

Keyboardist Matt Martin approaches his role differently to both Echotide's debut, and his work with defunct Australian prog-rock group Arcane, providing delicate synths, fragile ambient textures, glassy pianos and rich orchestrations, whilst Gagen's guitar work ranges from the subtle and introspective to intense and multi-layered. New drummer Samuel Mead slides effortlessly into the hot seat, providing a plethora of dark, introspective grooves.

A film clip for the third track 'Her Back to the Sun' directed by Adrian Goleby was made available on YouTube in early November 2017.

A day after the film clip; the group announced the album's official pre-order via Australian Arts crowdfunding platform Pozible. With their preorder target of $3500 met within just 6 days; the group put the album (and physical copies of the previously unreleased album 'as our floodlights gave way to dawn') into production in mid November of 2017.

Tomina Vincent of White Crow Review says of the album's undertaking:

"Into The Half Light Is a masterpiece - a big word that is often considered nothing but an exaggeration, but it is the simplicity and sheer beauty of this record that allows me to utter the word with confidence. Echotide create a bubble of space-time where only they and the listener are present, and everything outside of it seems to be weaved into existence by the music itself. The reason this album is so fascinating isn’t because it showcases talent, or skill, but because it shows a band that has a deep understanding of human emotion and the extraordinary ability to convey it. An absolute triumph"
-Tomina Vincent (White Crow Review)

Into The Half Light would appeal to fans of post rock groups such as Mogwai, Sigur Ros, Jackob, Year Of No Light & Godspeed You! Black Emperor.