Lachlan R. Dale - Shrines (2024) [Hi-Res]

Lachlan R. Dale returns with his debut full-length Shrines, a suite of transportive ambient explorations out 26 April on Art As Catharsis.

The album marks something of a change of pace for Lachlan. In contrast to his work with Hashshashin - whose emphasis on odd-time signatures, cinematic composition, and Central Eastern influences has marked them out in the world of post-rock - Shrines is a purely ambient affair inspired by artists like Loscil, Fennesz, and Rafael Anton Irisarri.

It’s also a deeply collaborative project, having been co-produced by Lachlan’s long-time collaborator Tim Carr (We Lost The Sea, Totally Unicorn), mastered by Becki Whitton, and featuring contributions from some of Australia’s finest experimental musicians - Aphir, Bonniesongs, Gelareh Pour of ZÖJ, Helen Svoboda, Joseph Rabjohns of Kodiak Empire, Peter Hollo of FourPlay String Quartet, and many more.

The album comes off the back of Hashshashin’s recent EP, Śara​ṇ​aṃ (2023), and a split record in 2021 with fellow guitarist Joseph Rabjohns, Eclipsing // Orbs.

“This record is unlike any other I’ve been a part of,” comments Lachlan. “It began with a period of experimentation. I would disappear into my home studio for hours on end, trying to push my pedalboard into strange new territories. Gradually, I recorded a collection of loops and textures without any particular aim.”

“After wading through the collection, I started sending tracks to other musicians to respond to. From the results that came back, the idea of the album began to take shape. Tim and I then had to sit down and work out how to refine and re-arrange the material. It’s been quite a process.”

Shrines can be thought of as a collection of immersive sonic worlds - some of which floating by like works of luminous alien beauty, while others have a grounded, earthy feeling.

The opening song, ‘Objects come in waves’, conveys an ecstatic state, while the album’s final track, ‘Dissipating in the sun’, evokes a deep and silent meditation. In between, ‘And the trees swaying gently like flame’ suggests consciousness flooded with light and beauty, while ‘Merely smoke ascending’ flickers as low and lazily as incense smoke rising into the air.

Shrines is an explorative and introspective release, as much about inner experience as connection and communion. It’s a journey that's sometimes beautiful, other times disquieting, but always hypnotic and transportive.

Tracklist:
1.01 - Lachlan R. Dale, Aphir, Joseph Rabjohns - Objects come in waves (4:02)
1.02 - Lachlan R. Dale, Brendan Clark - And I am struck by the light (4:04)
1.03 - Lachlan R. Dale, Simon Dawes - Shimmering over the sea (3:22)
1.04 - Lachlan R. Dale, Francisco Sonur, Migret - And the trees swaying gently like flame (4:28)
1.05 - Lachlan R. Dale, Peter Hollo - Forms disassemble (4:33)
1.06 - Lachlan R. Dale, Bonniesongs, Joseph Rabjohns - Revealing a silver stream (4:11)
1.07 - Lachlan R. Dale, Brendan Clark, Helen Svoboda - Flowing ceaselessly through the air (5:28)
1.08 - Lachlan R. Dale, Jatinder Singh Durhailay - My mind vaporous (5:09)
1.09 - Lachlan R. Dale, Gelareh Pour - Merely smoke ascending (4:11)
1.10 - Lachlan R. Dale, Branan Silvius - Dissipating in the sun (14:03)