A New Record from Clash Bowley

Afterburn is the latest release from Clash Bowley, and it feels like another reminder that Bowley really doesn’t belong to any category but his own. Sure, you can point to moments that nod toward influence, but what strikes me most is how firmly he carves out a space that feels particular and unreplicated. If you’ve spent time with his earlier work, you’ll recognize the fingerprints all over this one, but you’ll also hear him stretching the edges of his aesthetic in a way that makes the whole record feel like a refinement of what he’s been building.

What stood out to me immediately was the way he layers percussion. There are often two distinct drum patterns hard panned to opposite sides, pulling the ear in different directions without losing balance. The bass doesn’t just anchor the songs, it growls, thick and visceral, more like a presence than an instrument. Effects like chorus and reverb blur the edges, leaving moments that feel hazy but not unfocused. And then there’s Bowley’s voice, or maybe I should say voices. He shifts tones, timbres, and accents so dramatically at times that I find myself wondering if he thinks of them as characters. To me, that’s exactly how they come across, as if different personas are taking turns leading the charge.

The album has plenty of high points. “Signals of the Night” is one that stuck with me, its tension and release giving it a kind of nocturnal drama. “Deus Vult” carries a heavier weight, the kind of song that pushes its own intensity until you feel it more in your chest than your ears. But honestly, as much as those tracks stand out, this is not the kind of record that should be reduced to individual songs. The way the pieces fit together makes it feel like it was meant to be heard in sequence, as a whole.

I came away from Afterburn feeling like Bowley isn’t trying to reinvent himself so much as he’s deepening the world he’s already made. It’s strange, insular, and strikingly consistent, and that’s exactly why I think it works.

BANDCAMP