Sometimes endings bring new beginnings, this was the case for Dublin based duo T R Y S T E. As Gabriel Gaba’s (vocals/guitar) previous project ended he found himself looking to explore new sonic horizons, balancing emotional atmospherics with crushingly heavy sounds. Shortly after reconnecting with John O’Kelly (production/guitar) online, the two set about melding their respective influences, with John drawing on classic shoegaze and 80’s goth. The result is something all at once beautiful and devastatingly beautiful, or as the band say, ‘emotionally heavy, heavy music’. It’s this juxtaposition we hear on their stunning new EP ‘To Rise You Seek The End’. Following on from lead single ‘ Vessel’ which caught the attention of Hot Press, Black Market Playlists, The Otherside Reviews, The Sounds Won’t Stop, Thus Blog, Thoughts Words Action, TheBeat.ie, UberRock, Rock N Load and Pure M Zine. The EP pulls from a range of influences seamlessly blending the soaring melodies of Jeff Buckley, with the melancholic folk of Bon Iver with the crushing vastness of black-gaze by way of Holy Fawn and Deafheaven. The result is an emotional black-gaze bloodletting draped in the starry elegance of post-rock and the slow crush of post-metal. ‘To Rise You Seek The End’ never tells you how to feel but as you get lost in sonic soundscapes, is laden with and evokes emotion throughout. ‘Emotionally heavy, heavy music’.
T R Y ST E – Abandon (Focus Track – Spotify Link)
When it comes to writing, the pair prefer to write in isolation of each other, spending time carefully crafting the song and allowing it to present itself before demoing and sharing it. From this point onwards the process becomes entirely collaborative. The result is a sound that far exceeds the sum of its parts. When it came time to record the EP The pair made the decision they wanted live drums on the tracks and brought in session drummer, Nicola Dusmanic to replicate drums they had programmed.
Gabriel penned the lyrics during a period where his mental health issues had become more acute in the wake of the pandemic. Themes such as mortality, depression, anxiety snake their way through the EP. Like much of T R Y S T E’s music juxtaposition is central, contrasts of light and dark, beauty and ugliness, melancholia and elation all add further depth and perspective to the songs.
Opening track ‘The Long Journey’ acts as the entry point to the EP and over the tracks 8 minutes run time becomes a microcosm of what’s to come. Leaning into the heavier end of their influences after a short intro an avalanche of double bass us unleashed alongside swathes of guitar as they sweep us away in their wave like momentum. This gives way to ambient verses that glide along, although not without their own sense of unease and disquiet. It’s clear all is not well in the world of T R Y S T E. Synth pads help add depth and atmosphere to the track whether it’s sparkling ambience or siren wails during the more metal crescendos they hit. There is beauty and horror as they track builds and pulls back, as track builds to its end, the band craft a blissful euphoria over the crushing heaviness.
T R Y S T E – To Rise You Seek The End EP (Spotify Link)
‘Abandon’ changes pace with a piano intro and some more electronic elements being introduced to the sound. The duo’s willingness to experiment and not be hemmed in by expectation or genre tropes means the sonic palette from which they can pull from is endless. The soaring choruses feel like endless vistas offering a more hopeful outlook than the previous track. Lyrically, Gabriel writes about his relationship with his long term partner and the understanding that in any relationship, each person brings their own baggage, and that love demands compassion and sacrifice.
‘Pipe Dream’ marks the halfway point in the EP. The first track written by John for the project, it offers a more straight up rock song. As it moves between sections, it leans more into the light offering a reprise of hope in the darkness. Which, staying true to form, is at odds with the lyrically content. The track deals with the compulsion of any artist to create, often in the face of few returns. The music business can be a difficult landscape to navigate and even harder to succeed in, however the drive to create and share with willing ears is always there. That fire inside that burns regardless.
Penultimate song ‘Analysis / Paralysis’ is the second track John brought from the project and arrived fully formed as we hear it today. Rather than rely on a traditional verse chorus verse type structure the track offers up separate movements as no section reappears. The song is constantly evolving and building upon itself before it reaches its devastating conclusion and we are hit with the explosive black-gaze crescendo. Gabriel says of the track, ‘This is deeply tied to the chronic anxiety I have dealt with since childhood, as well as impostor syndrome and the process of breaking free from religion. But music was always there.‘
The last song to be written for the EP, Gabriel says ‘Vessel’ was the song he’d been trying to write all along. The track begins mellow and introspective, swelling synths blossom underneath an acoustic guitar as Gabriels ethereal vocals float a top cascading layers that coalesce to wrap around the listener. As drums join with a simple kick and cross sticking pattern it builds the track to fever pitch before the sonic onslaught breaks forth. A tsunami of drums, intense screams and crushing guitar are unleashed. Emotionally heavy, heavy music. It feels euphoric and cathartic, the only logical conclusion to the build that precedes it. The melody that wraps itself throughout the song and weaves in amongst the stampede of drums and distortion drenched guitars, always remaining at the heart of the track. Lyrically the song is about standing at a crossroads in life, deciding to cut and run and in the process save themselves, or if they stay aboard this ‘vessel’ and try to weather the storm. Gabriel says, “It’s about having integrity even at the worst possible situations.”
John is a professional recording engineer having previously worked in the legendary Westland Studios, so when it came time to record he was able to record all his lead guitars, rhythm guitars, bass and synth. Gabriel handled the vocals, rhythm guitars, synth, piano and ambient sections remotely. The pair made the decision they wanted live drums on the tracks and brought in session drummer, Nicola Dusmanic to replicate drums they had programmed. Given John’s experience he shouldered the responsibility of producer and mixing engineer before handing the project over to Brad Boatright from Audiosiege Studios in Portland for mastering.
Keeping things in house again, leaning on each other’s relevant skill set, in Gabriel’s professional life he is a graphic designer so it only made sense that he’d handle the visual language for the band. The band wanted to ensure that every element of the band was representative of their sound and intention leaning into the juxtaposition of contrasts that inspires everything about the band – from light to dark, from brutal to beautiful.