DISAPPEARS – irreal – CD

Irreal, the fifth long player from Chicago’s Disappears, is another trip down the rabbit hole. The album plays out as a dream sequence – hazed dub landscapes give way to the group’s most experimental and open music yet. If their last album Era confirmed the fact that Disappears are on their own trip, then Irreal is where it kicks in. Eternalism, roboethics, identity – it’s a Ballardian mix of imperfect melodies, half thoughts and good ol’ dystopian modernity. It’s a master class in texture, pace and control. Produced by John Congleton at famed Chicago recording institution Electrical Audio, Irreal sits in the negative space where art rock and post punk collapse onto each other. It’s the sound of Disappears reporting back from The Void.