PA008: Boding – Bagefter

If one were in need of describing music as a painting, Boding’s debut EP Bagefter would certainly be likened to the work of Jackson Pollock.
Sounds are splattered together, letting controlled randomness play a part in the composition process. But the final work ends up working as a whole, as one takes a step back and finds structure and meaning to the chaos. Information overload equals pattern recognition.
And so it makes sense that just 20 year old Boding has described his compositional process for this EP as throwing paint onto a canvas, and waiting to evaluate until the paint has dried (or the music has been exported). The result is an EP that feels like the sound of true emotions.
The opening track “Forsvundet” (meaning lost, or disappeared) puts us in a state of blissful angst, like being lost in a forest. A cold, but also pensive track that promises this will not just be another collection of atmospheric and nice ambient.
“Tættere på” (meaning closer) is the second track, and the EP’s most melodic, relying on a descending tune, constantly overlapping, giving almost the feel of a Shepard tone. The tune is sweet, but also gives a constant feel that we’re going further down into the darkness. A bit like a sunset. Nice and beautiful, but also a warning that night is inevitable.
“Første Film” (first film) is the most majestic and classic sounding ambient. Heavenly swells, like an ascent to heaven.
“Sct. Nicolai” includes a dusty and rusty recording of a church organ, and sounds like the memory of ancient mass. Or maybe what a funeral would sound like from inside the grave. There is beauty, but it is also a corrupted or haunted beauty.
The EP closes with an extremely difficult track, “Jeg ved det ikke engang selv” (I don’t even know). Strangely appealing in it’s intensity. I have found myself clutching my hands listening to this. Holding by breath and feeling my blood pressure rise. A nine minute journey, starting out sounding like real music, and then progressing into what music might sound like if you were riding on a light beam and time had stopped. Leaving the laws of physics as well as your own sanity in a state of abstract chaos and uncertainty. Strangely enjoyable, if nothing else than for the sheer intensity. Like very strong chili, it might be hard to take, but you end up strangely satisfied and oddly wanting to go again.
Release date: August 29, 2019