Heaven’s Chair – Trust

The debut album Trust from Australian electronic duo Heaven’s Chair delivers an atmospheric and innovative entry into the world of experimental electronica. Comprised of Jake Norris and Miles Smith, the project hails from the rural expanses of Victoria, a setting that deeply influences the brooding, isolated vibe running throughout the album. Trust showcases a skillful fusion of genres, blending elements of ambient, dubstep, and illbient with surprising sophistication. The duo’s sharp production, which could draw comparisons to the layered and abstract sounds of artists like Zomby and Actress, suggests this might not be their first foray into music, despite the group’s relatively unknown status.

From the very first track, Heaven’s Chair establishes a melancholic tone, with ambient soundscapes that evoke the eeriness of a distant cityscape, much like the haunting mood Burial often creates in his work. The use of field recordings and reverb-drenched beats contributes to a feeling of tension between the natural world and the urban underground, a motif that runs throughout the record. Tracks like “The Dread” delve into post-rave noise territory reminiscent of Rezzett, while “Chest Push” brings forth a dubstep-infused 2-step rhythm, nodding to the golden age of grime and dubstep, yet still retaining a distinctly fresh sound.

A pivotal moment in Trust comes with “I Just Want to Get to Heaven,” where the duo’s use of a plucked string instrument, potentially a zither or harp, adds an unexpected emotional depth. This piece feels akin to the experimental works of Coil or John T. Gast, bridging the gap between abstract electronic music and more traditional, melodic composition. This approach gives the album a refreshing balance between the familiar and the avant-garde, allowing it to stand out within the often-crowded electronic music landscape.

Heaven’s Chair wraps up Trust with tracks like “The Clown,” which features eerily compressed vocals, and “Angel,” a masterclass in illbient sound design that closes the album on a haunting note. Their unique ability to interweave dark, urban-inspired electronics with rural sensibilities offers a new perspective on ambient and dubstep, one that positions them alongside forward-thinking artists like Actress and Shackleton. With such a strong debut, Heaven’s Chair have made an impressive entrance, one that will likely reverberate far beyond their independent label and Australia’s electronic music scene.