Edena Gardens

After a trilogy of albums, completed in under a year, followed swiftly by a searing live record, Edena Gardens returned to Jonas Munk’s (Causa Sui) studio, their first time playing together since they’d closed out Dens in 2023. In the fist notes of Dispossessed, the album takes on a darker tone. A snarl creeps in under the guitars on opener “Hiraeth,” underscoring a growing disgust, distrust, and dissension with the world around them. As the album opens up, though, there’s a more meditative tone, a searching for meaning that reflects some of the most serene moments of their earlier records. The interplay between the three players is, as always, excellent, but at its heart, Edena Gardens remains a showcase for the guitar work of Nicklas Sørensen.

The new record comes as close as ever to his work with Papir, blooming into brightness on the nimble runs that dot the second side. The record wipes the sweat off its opening angst to reflect the players jazz and psych sides. As much as ‘Heim” or “Cantor Dew” are likely to ramble, the title track brings back a touch of the growl that tipped the whole thing off. The record amps up the swooning unease on the closer, a ten-minute torrent of shifting sands and silverswept guitar that shimmers like crystals caught in a slowly rising dust storm. As the band’s last chapter closes in confidence, its clear that they’re far from finished and this new chapter is looking like the dip over a beautiful new horizon.