Austere | Curio

first limited edition of 50

second unlimited edition

Our latest release, some two years in the making. A miasma of droning analogue and digital sounds, a curious collection of gimcracks and oddities open to exploration and interpretation.

A hint for ersatz explorers — it pays to be curious some times. There are song titles should you seek them.

Samples & Reviews can be found here.

You can order a copy through the Hypnos Online Store.

More information on Curio available at Discogs.com.

Reviews:

"The opening track is lovely. Always interesting to hear that old vinyl "snap, crackle and pop" (The Rice Crispies Effect) for no good reason. Things get a little weirder (or is that redundant for an Austere CD review?) but always nicely so. Love the Hunter Thompson piece."

— Gordon Danis, Esq.

"I really like this, more on each listen. At first, the vocal samples were a bit jarring; now they blend in nicely, and seem to fit just fine. This really reminds me of H3O, especially the first tracks; the middle has a ZF Monohmische vibe, distorted and distant. Great work!"

— Forrest (SunDummy)

"No tedious foolishness to get in the way of the almighty drone. I think their main mission in life is to remind people of what true ambient music is (hint: it has nothing to do with Aphex Twin or the Orb, bands who use elements of ambient music but are still technically dance music). Austere's vision of the holy grail of ambience involves droning keyboards assembled into a spiraling cathedral of sound, and it's a haunting and beautiful sound."

— Dead Angel magazine

"This is Austere's foray into Coil territory: hardly ambient at all, but quirky, weird, strange, haunting, and some times unnerving. A collection of very different styles and types of music but it all flows together into a masterpiece. Fans of Austere's minimalist or floating ambient approaches will be disappointed, but for those interested in a complex, mysterious musical journey will be delighted. Definitely my favorite Austere release to date. And for those with a copy of the first limited edition, there are track titles, and it is very rewarding to seek them out. Just be sure to tell them Wayne sent you."

— Wayne Dolman (Scintillating Spelling Bee)

"...there's no beat to shake your bon-bon to, no "chord progressions" to get tacky about, no "solos," no "singing" (voices burble up from the background briefly here and there, but i suspect those are samples), and no tedious foolishness to get in the way of the almighty drone. I think their main mission in life is to remind people of what true ambient music is (hint: it has nothing to do with Aphex Twin or the Orb, bands who use elements of ambient music but are still technically dance music). Austere's vision of the holy grail of ambience involves droning keyboards assembled into a spiraling cathedral of sound, and it's a haunting and beautiful sound."

— Dead Angel magazine

"I'm listening to Dwine right now. Very warm sound, reminds me of LaBradford, in that I think the basic drone is a highly processed guitar sound. Austere is more like their first album, "Prazision" (formless warm processed guitar drone). Extremely impressive."

— Unknown

"I must tell you, walking home last night in the midst of a snow squall whilst listening to "Dwine" was a beautiful and surreal experience."

— Benjamin Hudgins