Cathedral Bells - Parallel Dreams

Cathedral Bells started as Matt Messore's bedroom project in Orlando and grew into a touring band, but Parallel Dreams is the record where Messore learned to leave things alone. The album took nearly two years to finish, with songs sitting in half-done states for months at a time until some small change finally unlocked them. It is the band's first release for Artoffact Records, following 2023's Everything at Once.

The dream pop haze that has always defined the project is still here, but it has been thinned out on purpose. Synth pads were pulled, layers were stripped away, and a new pull toward slowcore gives the melodies room to breathe while a post-punk undertow keeps everything from dissolving into mist. "Across The Sky," "Crossover," and "Foxhole" show how much weight the band can carry with so little, "Make Me Right For You" brings in Yndling as a guest, and "Hourglass" and closer "Stars Align" see the album out.

Ten songs in roughly half an hour, with no wasted texture anywhere. It is the most restrained Cathedral Bells album yet, and for that reason the most affecting.

Standard black vinyl LP, packaged with a full-size glossy insert featuring lyrics and credits.