Distance – so as not to forget

Distance orchestrates the perfect storm – where beauty and devastation collide in a post-rock tempest so mesmerizing I’d gladly surrender to its wreckage, just to experience its haunting majesty on repeat.

A dark and foreboding storm brews in the middle of an ocean, threatening to devour everything in its path and forge the foundation of a new world on the cover of ‘so as not to forget’, the second full-length LP from Kiwi post-rock band, Distance. This imagery serves as the perfect harbinger for the sonic tempest that unfolds across 47 minutes of atmospheric Post-Rock landscapes punctuated by tectonic shifts into crushing Post-Metal territory.

Distance emerges from the rugged, primordial landscapes of New Zealand, crafting soundscapes that carve their own path while honoring the legacy of Kiwi Post-Rock pioneers, Jakob. Initially conceived as a solitary vision by frontman and architect Sam Butler, they’ve rapidly evolved into a formidable collective that recently commanded the stage opening for Post-Rock titans God Is An Astronaut during their New Zealand tour.

What elevates this album beyond mere genre exercise is the relentless gravitational pull each composition exerts on the listener. The album announces its intentions immediately with ‘dunharrow’, which wastes little time before plunging the listener into monumental, explosive sonic turbulence. The DNA of ISIS and Mogwai reveals itself in the muscular riffage of the track’s latter half, before ‘the red cloud’ obliterates any remaining sense of safety. When the eye of the storm finally arrives in the form of ‘filament’, its achingly beautiful violin passages create a momentary sanctuary amidst the chaos. This fragile serenity shatters with the torrential ‘gone in the instant of becoming’, where sparse vocals serve as prophetic whispers of encroaching calamity.

The album’s second movement confronts the aftermath of this unleashed fury; still intense but more contemplative, as if surveying a transformed landscape. The closing dyad of ‘parhelion’ and ‘…and salt the earth behind you’ function as opposing cosmic forces – one illuminating a path toward reconciliation, the other embracing the void left in destruction’s wake. The finale challenges conventional resolution, first thrusting the listener into the abyss with unexpected blast beats and serrated Post-Black metal textures before offering a gentle descent through serene saxophone passages. It stands as a masterclass in emotional catharsis.

Distance handles texture and tonality with impressive precision, showcased in their thoughtful arrangements and clear production. Restrained during quiet moments yet powerfully overwhelming when distortion takes over, each track tells its own story through carefully crafted emotional shifts. Their embrace of heaviness feels essential rather than ornamental to their Post-Rock approach, creating an album that reveals new layers with each listen.

This album rewards deep listening; repeated journeys are necessary to grasp what Butler and company have created. ‘so as not to forget’ exists as both caution and welcome – a powerful statement from the band who’ve discovered their voice within the tempest.