Somehow embodying the essence of malaise without the crushing weight of monotony, Domicile’s Time & Place feels both comforting and alienating in all the right ways. Like daydreaming and staring out a window, Time & Place offers an intimate glimpse into a wandering (or spiraling) mind, kept on track with fuzzy, driving instrumentation. Released today, February 21, Time & Place is the fourth EP from Domicile and is their most realized release to date.
It would be a disservice to align Domicile with tags like “Slacker Rock” because of how much work goes into sounding so purposefully indifferent. Whatever alt-rock, whatever-gaze, indie-hyphenate pin you want to stick on the Orillia-based outfit will not suitably fit them. As with their previous releases, Domicile creates a viable mise-en-scene that is both visceral and tangible. On Time & Place, the intriguing imagery is supported by a more refined attention to production that allows the listener to get lost in the music.
While melancholy is an overarching theme throughout the EP (and most of the band’s catalogue), there is no sense of giving up. Many of the lyrics could be accentuated with a defeated sigh, but it never comes. There is a resilience at the core that drives Domicile’s style – less like a “Hurrah!” and more like a thumbs up for successfully pulling your pants on when you really didn’t want to. Time & Place plays out like a surreal, loosely guided tour inside a mind hyper focused on fleeting moments and lackadaisically moves on.
With a name like Domicile, you might expect a cold and heatless sound, but there is a genuine warmth to the new EP that is inviting and personable. What follows feels strangely intimate while remaining vague enough to allow the listener to insert themselves into the narrative. While listening, you’re not sure if you’re supposed to be there but it’s far too interesting to walk away. Time & Place is the perfect EP for this time of year when the dark and light are constantly at odds, and every chilled walk feels like something…or nothing.
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Bio:
Melancholic mid-tempo from Orillia, Ontario.
