Mount Sims is back with a new EP, good news since we haven’t seen anything major after “Wild Light” in 2005. Mount Sims first appeared in the LA electro scene, and enjoyed a good deal of hype, and deservedly so. Since then he’s reinvented his lineup and moved to Berlin. A Grave is darker, fitting for a release on the more avant –dark Hungry Eye records, known for Bellmer Dolls, 16s, Black Ice, The Holy Kiss, etc. Here we find a more melodic electronic with no lack of strong but subtle guitars, most notably Mt Sims 12-string.

The EP starts with a slow, cold, dark introduction, aptly named ‘Melting Ice’, melting off the tension by prolonging the suspense of the last X years waiting for new Sims by another 4 minutes and 11 seconds. What a clever jerk. But it sets the mood well and lets you know he’s dipped his guitar back into the shadows and he’s going to take us with him. The title track, ‘Grave’, is nothing but excellent. Its got a soft handle and a very sharp edge. Matt Sims’ signature voice drifts over a steady beat and stout basslines. Guitar and synths provide the accent, and I recall the sardonic, biting voice and guitars of Xian Death. Then we dive further, getting “Lost In The Dark”, which is the aggressive song of the disc. It twists and turns like a perilously exhilarating night drive. The rhythm continuously picks up speed and rounds the bends, while steady flashes of oncoming guitars threaten to collide with your senses, and if that wasn’t ominous enough, the lyrics ooze thick, dark trails of camp. Finally, we careen off the cliff and hang stuck in time with the atmospheric, churning ‘Unwound’ and contemplates the grave further in a suspended final instant while more gloomy lyrics run through your head. 

Mount Sims has been exorcising some demons with this more violent, stormy EP, but he’s always had a thick dark streak. It is a superb example of their amazing musical talent and a great development leading up to their next album “Happily Ever After”, that’s available by the time your reading this review.