PERILS
PERILS (Desire Path)

Kyle Bobby Dunn and Thomas Meluch are both notable in their own right. Meluch has released nearly half a dozen albums of folktronic, field-recording-laced electronic meditations under the name Benoît Pioulard, while Dunn has released several sprawling full-lengths featuring guitar-based drones and minimalist compositions for strings and piano.

The pair formed PERILS in 2012, during a tumultuous time in their lives. Originally from Haslett, Michigan, Meluch was relocating from the U.K. to Seattle, while Dunn was in Belleville, Ontario, putting the finishing touches on his massive triple-LP release Kyle Bobby Dunn and the Infinite Sadness, and feeling drained on all levels. Rather than dwell on his insecurities, Meluch started putting ideas together and sending them to Dunn, who merged his haunting, impressionistic approach with Meluch’s vaguely nostalgic vocals to create 10 pieces allegedly “culled from a poutine- and whisky-fueled trudge through the dark corridors of an as-yet undiscovered or possibly imaginary mystic temple”.

When you hear the music-box intro to “Maps of Sinking” give way to a godly metallic, shimmering drone, you can practically see their mystic temple being built.