Hipwell + Kasperkiewicz

Last I heard from Australia’s Adam Hipwell was on a solo set for the indispensable Island House Records. Hipwell’s kosmiche landscapes carved their way across Gardenworld and on its follow-up, he and Polish guitarist Jakub Kasperkiewicz look to the distant past’s landscapes for inspiration. The pair have been collaborating for over two years, working through four compositions that blend their languid styles into works that feel as monumental as the masses that inspired them. The core dynamic of the album are the ancient supercontinents Gondwana and Laurasia, and the record dedicates a side of the album to each hemisphere, seeking to capture each within the longform fusion of their sonic arcs.

Hemispheres starts the listener in the south, a short tumble through the speakers on “Remember Quicksand?,” before the behemoth of “Gondwana” begins to spread across the headspace. Rooted in the verdant, green surroundings of our planet’s primordial south, the song reflects the feelings with humid, thunderous atmospheres that drench the listener in dangerous tones. The flip looks to Laurasia, letting Kasperkiewicz’s strums take precedence on “Goat’s Peak,” before descending into the prog-dipped incantations of the continent’s namesake track. This side’s aura is more Western, a drier, more desiccated vision than the first. There’s an undercurrent of witchcraft, perhaps something alchemical that mirrors the mysteries and mythologies of ancient life. It’s a monumental album, and one that’s worth picking apart over time, each new listen peeling back the layers that the pair has created.

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