Orchid Mantis releases ‘Visitations’ LP

Orchid Mantis released their full-length Visitations. The album comprises twelve ambient dream pop tracks. Thomas Howard is the artist behind the project, performing almost everything on the album. This is one of hopeful beginnings, as Thomas wrote on BandCamp.

Thomas Howard wrote this about Visitations:

“Visitations was written and recorded over about two months earlier this year during a period of significant personal change. After recording Far From This World – an album fixated on endings, it felt important to create a counterpart to reflect all the new beginnings that followed. Change always gives and takes. I wanted to try some things on this record I wasn’t confident enough to attempt in the past – longer, droning songs and minimal electronic pop. Its title could refer to funeral gatherings, spiritual or divine visitations, the appearance of loved ones in dreams, etc. This album is vaguely about all those things. It’s also about distance and time, and how they separate individuals – in proximity and in death, before and after.” (Bandcamp)

This full-length is one to soak in. There’s an honesty to Thomas’ approach. You feel as though you know him as you listen to his songs. He’s not one to hide what he’s processing, and this comes through in his lyricism and his instrumentation. The album has a hopeful sound, and forms a backdrop to his reflections.

always felt
the weight of things i’ll never tell
but you know well
the days will fold in on themselves
and i’ll get by
on things that no one else describes
i’ll clear my mind
with images of you and i

Orchid Mantis – Field of Reeds (BandCamp)

Thomas maintains a consistent sound of tape-warped tones, found sounds, and lo-fi production across his albums. At at the age of 24, Visitations is his sixth full-length since he began in 2015 (plus seven EPs).

This album has quite a few standout tracks: Light Rays, Change Your Mind, Never Knows Best are three that have immediately grabbed me. As with his previous works, these are songs you can spend time with. And while you’re diving in, don’t miss his Tape Covers EP that he released in April of this year.