Prophecy

*Prophecy* is the third solo recording by Sydney-based Laurence Pike, a drummer/composer who plays in PVT, Liars, and Szun Waves. Like so many artists, Pike was forced to confront the question of how to engage creatively in a time of crisis caused not only by the COVID-19 pandemic, but also Australia’s deeply destructive bushfires. He found purpose in solo playing and his own unique approach to sampling and sound design, improvising acoustically on drums and conjuring multi-textured sonic landscapes in which nothing is obvious, and every track is wholly different. Synth tone colors, sparse cymbals and electronic percussion, voice-like parts (“Death of Science,” “Ember”), and other elements float in and out, often grounded in a steady yet subtle rhythmic motion (“Heart of Sky,” “New Normal”) and hazy harmony (“Prophecy,” “Rapture”). At the center of it all is a curious and somewhat dark blend of man and machine.

Australian drummer and improviser Laurence Pike's third album in as many years was conceived as his home country was being ravaged by bushfires.