Hex (Independent)

In the last few months alone, the local experimental-music scene performer Prophecy Sun has dropped Not for Dogs, her sophomore solo set of Theremin blips and murmurings; Dust, a collection of weirdo lo-fi folk from her Under the Sun project; and now Hex, the debut of her latest band, Spell. Fittingly, the duo’s first affair is as out-there as anything Sun has done in the past.

“Forest” kicks off the four-song effort with a series of electronic mosquito buzzes and wind sounds that serve to underscore Sun’s wordless, shamanic warbles. Untouched by the usual layers of reverb and delay that the singer employs in her solo work, her vocals come across especially sensually. “Just a Matter of Time” follows suit, with Sun embracing her inner torch singer atop busy synth squelches and a clanking, postindustrial snap beat. “Fading Away” strays from the EP’s minimalist beginnings, though, as Sun and sound artist Kristen Roos stretch out ethereal shushes and moans alongside washes of white noise.

But perhaps the most effective track is closer “Break the Speed of Light”. A mix of dank, decaying dub beats, backward-tracked effects, it plays out like one of the gloomy transitional pieces that spiked This Mortal Coil’s back catalogue. Though we don’t get to hear the song segue into another Spell-penned stunner, considering Sun’s track record, the follow-up can’t be far off.