Through The Flames Of Hell With Boards Of Canada

Despite a personality-defining affinity for esoteric electronics, I am not a Boards Of Canada diehard. When I want IDM, I usually reach for Aphex Twin or Squarepusher. In the scope of 1990s Warp Records, I am partial to Seefeel, Two Lone Swordsmen, and Plaid. Even the way I discovered the Scottish project in high school left me cold: A chatty classmate told me about Music Has The Right To Children during a Spanish lecture, causing the teacher to call my parents and scold my lack of focus.

In January, the tides started to shift when I rewatched Lynne Ramsay’s 2002 film on death and hedonism, Morvern Callar; the soundtrack features the BOC cut “Everything You Do Is A Balloon.” I connected with trip-hop elements that previously evaded me. My rejuvenated interest grew from there, just in time for the duo’s first album rollout in over a decade. Cryptic VHS tapes were mailed to fans and posters with similar imagery were plastered near my office in Greenpoint. Customers at the vinyl store I manage began to ask if I had heard of the comeback from brothers Mike Sandison and Marcus Eoin. As Inferno was announced, the shop repeatedly sold out of Boards Of Canada stock — a voraciousness for physical media I have not witnessed since Cindy Lee’s Diamond Jubilee hit shelves.

If nothing else, Inferno is a testament to the hype cycle. During a listening session at Judson Memorial Church in Manhattan, the cue to enter stretched around the cathedral. The crowd erupted in cheers as Boards Of Canada’s hexagon logo beamed behind the altar. I was relieved when blocky grooves churned from the PA — I do not gel with the ambient side of Boards Of Canada, which I find saccharine.

“Prophecy At 1420 MHz,” “Hydrogen Helium Lithium Leviathan,” and “The Word Becomes Flesh” could be pigeonholed as downtempo, yet I pick up on flecks of dubstep. Atmospheric pieces, including “The Process” and “You Retreat In Time And Space,” are given enough breathing room to be captivating. Robotic incantations on “Father And Son” and “Blood In The Labyrinth” are endearingly chintzy, harkening the prime of plunderphonics. Silvery guitars bloom, inching towards vaporwave and shoegaze. Inferno bears traces of the movements Sandison and Eoin have influenced.

Boards Of Canada ponder the occult, like an uncanny corporate brochure with a sinister hidden message. Reddit threads and YouTube videos are ample, conspiring on the New Clear Dawn website and 66 minute and 6 second length of Geogaddi. It is grimly fitting that, hours before Inferno’s release, “Deep Time” was used in a menacing White House upload. The album’s preoccupations are less immediate than Donald Trump, artificial intelligence, or geopolitical turmoil. Where their last transmission, 2013’s Tomorrow’s Harvest, portrayed a nuclear dystopia, Inferno delves into what arrives next: damnation. An Aleister Crowley quote adorns “All Reason Departs;” "Naraka” is named for hell in Indian religion, incorporating a Hare Krishna chant. Across Inferno, beauty blossoms from brimstone.

PEAK TIME

Kindergarten Records emerged from foggy Bushwick basements, with a knack for low end sorcery. Roster staple Tom Sobolik has teamed with Bristol’s George Harris (aka georg-i) for the bashing EP Final Drive. “Overtorqued” unfurls in loungey terrain, escalating to a speaker rattling summit. Conceptualized in London and guided by Internet admiration, the result is snarling.

In line with the best artists signed to Peverelist’s Livity Sound, Joe Milli fuses snaky polyrhythms and mysterious flourishes. The London-based producer is back on the Bristol imprint with Repetitions, an EP of crispy tools. “Mantra” offsets UK funky rolls and a vocal sample on emptiness — a primal gem.

Spekki Webu embraces Dutch pointillism, earning nods from Dekmantel and defunct institution De School. Bootstrap Paradox — for New York City’s Outer Orbit Records — is inspired by science fiction and nostalgia. “Earth” is opalescent and twisting. Spekki Webu scores movies by day, yielding a dynamic touch.

On Mainframe — issued by Kode9’s Hyperdub — Chicago’s Darryl Bunch Jr (AKA Heavee) polishes a cartoonish spin on footwork. The EP from the Teklife affiliate is frenetic and squiggly. “Chainsmoke” enlists kindred spirits DJ Manny and DJ Lucky, who deliver lurching juke. It disintegrates and reconstructs on a whim.

From 2017 to 2024, INVT were prolific. The Miami duo of Luca Medici and Delbert Perez kept quiet in the wake of the 12-inch with K-Lone, Loca, gigging selectively and occasionally surfacing on a remix or compilation. Their return, 8 AM Swim, provides a surgical take on the pummelling formula. “SOUTH FLORIDA EUPHORIA” is techy, disembodied stutters hovering atop brittle sequencing. The sweaty energy is refined.

TraTraTrax exists at the intersection of propulsion and futurism. Launched in Colombia by Verraco, Nyksan, and DJ Lomalinda, it was among the first to platform Nick León, Doctor Jeep, and Bitter Babe. Passing the curatorial reins to London-based Corsica Studios, NTS, and Hyperdub compatriot Shannon SP, Mzansi Bass spotlights the South African underground. Gqom hero DJ Lag darts from shuffling valleys to laser sharp pinnacles on “NOPS” — waving the torch for a community that deserves more shine.

On outings for Wisdom Teeth, Well Street Records, and her own Pressure Dome, Bristol’s Jennifer Hartley (aka Yushh) contrasts glitter and grit. Her EP for hometown legend Batu’s Timedance, Full Body AXY, is feisty. “The OCC” is carried by throaty clacks and reverberant woodwinds, until puttering bass caresses the tension. Hartley’s past material has catered to disoriented minds, but this aims for the chest.

Beatrice Masters is at the front of the dubstep revival, honing a distinct sonic fingerprint and running the label Bait. Where forebears on Tempa and DMZ are crude, the British-Parisian leans refreshing. Their debut LP for Pinch’s Tectonic, Sinking, is tactile and aqueous, aided by Jay Carder, Sir Hiss, Jinnal, and Kaba. “Years” is as indebted to King Tubby as Coki, holographic chords echoing over a skittering kick — pristine weight.

Sweden’s Armand Jakobsson (aka DJ Seinfeld) appeared during the lofi house boom, riding a cheeky, heartbroken Soundcloud presence into stardom. His record on Ninja Tune, If This Is It, is shaped by acceptance of the moment. Many of the tracks are sunny bangers, partnering with big tent favorites such as SG Lewis and Confidence Man. “Turning The Page” is moodier, a ping ponging lead and melancholy voice building to a strobing climax. Jakobsson excels with a dash of friction.

THE AFTERS