Barrens – Corpse Light
Barrens – Corpse Lights
Pelagic Records
12/09/2025
Review by Oli Gonzalez
8/10
Barrens. A new Swedish post-rock band and another acquisition to Pelagic Record’s impressive roster. Describing themselves as being for fans of Caspian, God Is An Astronaut, This Will Destroy You, and other post-rock royalty is a surefire way to grab my attention! How will this manifest, and what sound can I expect on their release, “Corpse Lights”?
Well, first things first, whatever production techniques they’ve used ought to be a jealously guarded secret. Or to put it more succinctly, they sound phenomenal! Full, sharp, and drenched in grandiose atmosphere, this is definitely one to enjoy in a darkened room and the headphones on for a full immersive deep listen! This is in the early stages of the album, mind, when the pace is fast and the textures thick as treacle (think Year Of No Light or Cult Of Luna minus the vocals). Though songs such as ‘Periastron’ are much slower, ambient, and melodic enough to lull you into a trance-like relaxation. ‘No Light’ seems to be a very happy marriage of Barrens’ delicate melodic qualities and that firm, dense atmospheric backbone. Again, props to the band’s work in the studio for successfully navigating the fine margins involved in incorporating two opposing elements into this mix.
Being an instrumental entity means that their music runs the risk of becoming stale without the necessary stimulation that comes from a vocalist and their lyrics. But Barrens manage to keep all compositions fresh through the art of good songwriting. Varied textures – the aforementioned blend of melody and atmosphere – as well as the structures that slowly build tension towards rewarding crescendos – are becoming signature in the band’s sound. This is true both within individual songs and as part of the larger scope of the “Corpse Lights” album. The pacing is excellent, with more stripped-down and ambient numbers, ‘Remnants’ and ‘Apastron’, providing a much welcome respite from an entity that can quickly become overwhelming through prolonged exposure.
Whilst “Corpse Lights” may not quite have the muscle to shake the foundations of the post-rock genre, it sure is a statement of intent, and an empathetic one at that!
TRACK LISTING:
01. Memory Eraser
02. The Derelict
03. Sorrowed
04. Periastron
05. Apastron
06. No Light
07. Collapsar
08. Remnants
09. A Nothing Expands
LINKS:
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