Causa Sui

Perennial favorites Causa Sui are back at it, following quickly on both a live album (from their 2024 Loppen appearance) and last year’s From The Source. In Flux serves as a sort of counterpoint to the latter. Where Source was an orchestrated and dynamic record that served as a showcase for the kind of crush usually expected from Causa Sui; In Flux is true to its title, swerving through their map of influences and letting themselves indulge in the kind of chameleonic approach that hasn’t been quite so prominent since the band’s Summer Sessions trilogy. Like the works in that series, In Flux finds the band stretching out, peaking on the centerpiece standout “Astral Shores.” The cut works as a Sui in miniature, encompassing their love for folk, motorik psych, and mercurial prog.

Elsewhere, the band doesn’t flag in its zeal for expanded horizons. The group gets languid and liquid like Moon Duo headed for the horizon with the Popul Vuh catalog tucked under their arms. They propel themselves through some Can primers before abandoning guitars for a watery synth-scape on closer “Spree.” From some bands this much deviation from the center line could cause uneven results, but the Sui’s inherently omnivorous nature and usually steady hand with fusion makes this all just seem like they’re letting the edges blur and bleed a bit more than usual. The band leaves their comfort zone but never leaves the listener behind. The saturation of synth this time around is the most welcome element, and while the band will never shake their guitar-heavy reputation, it’s great to see some watercolor textures infused into their sound. Cue this one and From The Source up back to back and the band’s soundtracked a day to night dive from high sun to darkness just perfectly.