Describing themself as “self-help” rock, Colorado-based artist ovalofsand released Culling in August 2025. The EP is characterized by electronic production, emphatic cymbal parts, wandering basslines, and ambient textures. Using a combination of electronic and acoustic instrumentation, ovalofsand explores a number of different moods and feels, taking the status of “genre-bending” to the next level. The record opens with tornado sirens that slowly transition into a gentle arrangement of strings and electric guitar, and this use of field recordings is a common theme throughout Culling’s duration.
“siren song”, the ambient introduction to the album, sets the scene with a nostalgic 6/8 waltz before plunging into the post-punk instability of “clutch”. This dramatic shift in tone is a distinct and repeated creative choice, demanding listeners’ awareness through an experience of sonic whiplash. After 12 minutes of unpredictability, the energy of the album begins to stabilize, and its contours become smoother. Peering curiously over the precipice of another potentially dramatic transition, listeners will find balance in the meditative stability of “empty”. Timed on the longer side, “empty” starts off softly with ambient noise and vocals that sound like they’re being sung through a rotary telephone beneath 3 feet of water. Slowly working up to an explosion of distorted bass and electric guitar, this track nicely captures the album’s range.
As Culling rotates between the sound worlds of post-punk and slowcore, syncopation tends to be a common pivot point for transitioning between moods. The percussion part does heavy lifting in the world of emotional tone on tracks like “blissnorance” and “siren song”, where the interplay of rhythmic patterns bridges the gap between the experimental and the mainstream. Another prominent theme in the EP’s arrangement is sparse, gestural parts for guitar and bass that become buried beneath dense textures, inviting a form of deep listening, keeping audiences’ ears perked to find a recognizable pattern in the mix. Synth pads, cinematic drum fills, and occasional orchestral arrangements give the album a diverse feel spanning a number of different genres, most of them overlapping at one time or another. The field recordings used throughout the album tend to nod towards industrial sources, such as the sirens used in the opening track.
“(a reminder)” stopped me in my tracks with its laid-back coffeehouse jazz feel. A moody, cloudy track, “(a reminder)” is mostly instrumental, with almost-obfuscated vocals sitting low in the mix. While Culling explores a number of different areas throughout the album’s length, its recurring instrumentation stands out as the most salient: hushed, relaxed vocals laid over gently evocative instrumentals, with a cumulative effect of drawing the audience in to listen closer and be truly present with the music. This is followed by “(another reminder)”, a track characterized by a march-like 6/8 feel in the rhythm section, with low synth pads driving the drone-like harmonic motion in the piece. In this track, Jesse Sandoval asks, “Do you hear me? / Do you see me? / Will you hear me? / We’re not alone!”.
ovalofsand packs Culling with meaning, referencing experiences like childhood trauma and depression throughout. The lyrics themselves are meaningful, but often obfuscated by vocal processing or instrumentals, creating a patchwork of experiences and stories. On tracks like “generation TRAUMA,” Jesse makes the creative choice to place the vocals higher in the mix, where they’re easily understood- and it’s tracks like these that serve as milestones in the record’s duration. As the EP draws to a close, I’m reminded of ovalofsand’s status as “self-help” rock. A deeply personal album rife with vulnerability and meaning, this record employs ambient textures and post-rock instrumentals to share an experience of reflection, which was obviously therapeutic for Jesse Sandoval, its creator, in addition to, judging by the album’s Bandcamp sales, a community of like-minded individuals who share his love of cinematic rock.
Written by Hann Sandoz
