Planet Destroyer, the debut EP from Toronto-based post-rock band Inspire Influence, is unhinged in execution, rising and falling like an endless wave of hopeless determination. Creating an atmosphere of desolation from the initial static of introductory track “Repairing,” the 5-song EP reads like a cohesive tale of intergalactic exploration through repetition, slow build-ups, and eventual climatic bursts of distorted frustration. Each song crawls along at its own steady pace, never rushing to conclusions, but always falling into place.
Throughout is an underlying, desperate feeling of alienation, yet songs like the album’s single “Seeker” are strangely uplifting and energetic. While “Kepler 22” is simple and quiet, employing static, feedback, and muffled speeches of charismatic proportions, others like the aforementioned “Repairing” rely on rumbling drums and soaring guitars to bombard and construct tense landscapes. Laced with warm piano notes and cold, calculated electronic drums, Planet Destroyer seems to be stuck in a conflict of human comfort and mechanical indifference.
For the most part, Planet Destroyer is quiet and dark, crafting an ambient tapestry so lonely it’s almost suffocating. The title track trudges along sluggishly, pulling itself into a crescendo of eerily repetitive guitar strumming before diving yet again into a beautifully composed atmosphere of floating in territory unknown. By the time the last few notes fade with the resonating feedback, it’s as if a journey has been completed and a sigh of breath can be released with the following silence.
Inspire Influence has left a mark with its debut release and the product of their short existence is exciting to say the least. Its driving distortion and hauntingly forsaken atmosphere add a stark contrast to the delicate quiet that intertwines itself throughout the EP. There’s a technological edge tinged into the reaches of each song, conjuring elements of futuristic intelligence and ambitious voyages into the far unknown. It’s timidly emotional with weight hung on every mournful note packed together with unspoken vulnerability. It will be interesting to see if Planet Destroyer’s immediate ambition carries over into future releases.
