Over the years, words such as ‘blissful’ and ‘atmospheric’ have lost their impact, severely blunted by sheer overuse. These days when both meet the eye, the usual response is, “Really?” While in that same orbit, somehow helllhound transcend both on their debut LP, Here in the Valley.
The project of life partners, Cadmar Fitzhugh and Nailah Hunter, as helllhound on Here in the Valley the duo engineer a sonic echo system that instils peace. Fitzhugh and Hunter take you to a certain place that provides insularity from all the chaos of gridlock traffic, noise pollution and high-rise buildings. A suburban detox born from the duo’s move from Los Angeles to a remote town in the Sierra National Forest.
This change of pace inspires Here in the Valley. The album, reflecting a period of transition into new locales and life moments (the two also becoming parents). Fitzhugh and Hunter’s new surroundings, affording time and space to breathe, reaching closer to that inner core of self. And throughout these songs, the duo transfer that freedom to the listener.
It’s neither a fantastical nor a hippified sound world that Fitzhugh and Hunter shape here. These songs are far too intimate for either. In many ways, you can’t imagine something this beautiful being created by anyone but life partners. That seamless commonality, shining through the music. A deep understanding that can only be defined when two people merge as one.
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And it starts with the eponymous song, as helllhound stich together field records and soft acoustics where Hunter’s voice barely breaks through the undercurrents of the mix. Think Jessica Pratt in slow motion. It sets the tone and from there, it’s all about floating in the ether. With heaven-bound acoustic brushes, Downstream redefines the dream-state with something akin to Julie Byrne warming up in the green room with angels as her backing band. And the same could said of The Pleiades. A woozy, wordless vocalisation that not just loosens the mind nots, but unties them completely.
Elsewhere, the piano-led By Sea finds the duo reaching back to the early ’70s. The whimsical echoes of Judee Sill and a backdrop consisting of more innocent times. It’s not the only moment where keys play a pivotal role. On Venus in Libra, rich ivories fill reach every corner of the room as gentle acoustic wanderings light it up like the morning sun.
In many ways, Here in the Valley is the embodiment of what Constellation Tatsu have brought us over the years. A soundtrack where soft colours and sweet scents are just as vital as the sounds themselves. Helllhound, the architects of something that is like a cleansing of the mind, body and soul.
Here in the Valley is out now via Constellation Tatsu. Purchase from Bandcamp.
