191: Kitba - Wolf's Mouth

'Hold the Edges', the opening track to Kitba's forthcoming new album of the same name, felt like a somewhat cryptic and intriguing introduction, a series of hints as to what the full collection could look like, without ever giving away what it would look like. New single 'Wolf's Mouth' takes that idea and runs with it. Immediately dark and dense, the track opens immediately with dense synths and programmed drum beats, a kind of industrial, pulsing undercurrent that never lets up.

Before too long, Rebecca El-Saleh's voice comes in to settle things a little but it too feels oddly shaped, an icy sense of detachment that drifts in and out of that murky backdrop, never allowing anything to really settle, never letting us as listeners to really get a grip on where we are.

Indeed, just when it seems like the voice might win-out, that the clouds might part enough to bring a semblance of light in, the track erupts once more, all crashing percussion and thick layers of instrumentation that feel riveting for all the menace they seemingly hold.

Predominantly a harpist, El-Saleh's focus is no less compelling for the lack of that instruments prevailing sound and mood here, and as that final swell takes hold its hard not to get completely wrapped up in the crunchy, unyielding noise of it all.

It's out today, with the full album to follow in September. Dive in below.

Hold the Edges is released September 19th, via Ruination Records