Album Review
Bristler – ‘Cascades at Play’ [Album Review]
Free from restraints and armed with a clear vision, ‘Cascades at Play’ (Mint 400 Records) from Bristler, is innovative, noteworthy, and fully developed.
New Jersey-based indie outfit Bristler recently released their debut album, Cascades at Play. reflecting the savors of post-rock and emo. Primarily recorded and produced by guitarist/vocalist Rudy Meier in his bedroom, Cascades at Play is both sonically unique and sumptuous.
Made up of Meier, Biff Swenson (drums), and Dana Yurcisin (bass), Bristler’s genesis began when Meier, whose band Wetbrain would eventually dissolve, crossed paths with Yawn Mower, in which Swenson and Yurcisin played. After performing production and engineering work on Yawn Mower’s 2022 LP, To Each Their Own Coat, Meier would eventually join the band. A chemistry developed, leading Meier to form Bristler.
Bristler’s sound suggests Death Cab for Cutie with traces of Steely Dan and CSN&Y—elegantly layered, precise, and cossetted in shimmering, entrancing melodic flows.
Entry points include “Jaguar Shark,” which rides a soft yet propelling rhythm topped by stacked guitar surfaces. Meier’s gentle, easy-to-listen-to-tenor imbues the lyrics with silky tones. The feel of the tune, especially in the verses, is magically captivating because of its mellow resonance and clingy groove.
“If life’s a sea / and fate my anchor / I will ride the wave / to whereupon the shore it breaks.”
The Cappella intro of “Tiny Little Pieces” segues into a drifting, shifting melody, like something from a burlesque show. Strangely eerie, ready to fall apart, yet quirkily entrancing. A personal favorite because of its humming, trickling coloration, and chirping accents, “Bank Robber” offers angular guitars that approach alt-rock sensibility.
“Lowlife” resembles a jacked-up nursery rhyme riding an off-tempo rhythm and chameleon-like guitars as Meier’s deliciously inflected vocals infuse the lyrics with yummy flavors of delightful surprise.
Bristler, photo by Melissa McLaughlin
“Test Your Water,” jazz-tinted and almost prog-rock-like, merges sparkling guitars, psychedelic synths, and dazzling, burgeoning percussion to form a potent, surging climax, followed by a soft, creamy outro.
Free from restraints and armed with a clear vision, Cascades at Play is innovative, noteworthy, and fully developed.
Cascades at Play Track Listing:
1. Mirror Image
2. Jaguar Shark
3. Counterclockwise
4. Skipping Rocks
5. Tiny Little Pieces
6. Bank Robber
7. Lowlife
8. Test Your Water
Run Time: 25:06
Release Date: March 8, 2024
Record Label: Mint 400 Records
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