Brighton based atmospheric rock five-piece Polar Son (FKA Porshyne) have just unleashed their new album Wax/Wane. This release marks a new chapter for the band who returned last month with details of their name change.
Having earned plaudits from the likes of BBC Radio 1 Rock Show, Alt Press, CLASH, Kerrang! Radio, Upset, New Noise Magazine, Music Radar, and more. Polar Son have developed a cult following for their borderless and ever evolving sound, whilst also playing alongside the likes of Black Peaks, The Physics House Band, and many more. Now having emerged from Middle Farm and Echo Zoo studios, where they recorded with Mark Roberts (Black Peaks/ Delta Sleep etc.), Polar Son have returned with their most expansive and experimental material to date.
The band’s earlier material has drawn references to the likes of Tool, Dredg, Radiohead, and Kyuss, but the new album sees them forge a sound that builds outwardly on this template. Tracks such as “Gangrene” see Polar Son orchestrate a progressive epic that features intricate riffing, ambient electronica, and epiphanic sax. Whereas “Listen” sees the band fully lean into the newly introduced electronic dynamic combining minimal math-rock riffing with dark drum machine-built beats, sub-bass, and almost euphoric synth sections – all underpinned by Lyden’s vocals which flex around the instrumentation. This can also be seen on “Wax” which showcases further diversity in the band’s evolution, combining heavy industrial instrumentation with angular guitars and hook heavy, rhythmic vocals.
Polar Son are not so much moving away from the sound that has seen them earn worldwide acclaim, but are making a direct statement that they’re not afraid to push the boundaries of their compositional abilities. Over the course of eight genre-bending tracks on Wax/Wane, the band have forged a new path for themselves, one that gives them the freedom to explore and toy with every sonic tool at their disposal, to create a sound that almost immediately sounds like their own.
What do you think about their new album?
