You know how some people associate one sense with another, like hearing colours and feeling sounds? It’s called synesthesia and is thought to affect between 1% and 2% of the population. Regular Nature, the latest album from Calgary quartet Sunglaciers, is a bit like synesthesia: you hear sounds but perceive movement. This fourth full-length from the band (formerly a duo, then a trio, then…) rolls like a 20-sided dice – yes, the kind used by role-playing enthusiasts – and shimmers and sparkles along its trajectory.
After the rawer post-punk urgency that characterized Subterranea (2022), Sunglaciers isn’t afraid to indulge in glam and more danceable keyboards, while retaining a distinctly cubist, choppy edge. Regular Nature is a metamorphosis that reveals itself as the listening progresses. The tracks are short and to the point, but show all the facets of this group who are clearly admirers of bands like DEVO and Gang of Four. The mix of genres is appreciated, but while maintaining a sense of structure, the band could push the exploratory side even further. Recommended listening for being on the move, like driving a car for a long time.
