The world is overwhelming to navigate, and Devarrow knows it. If Graham Ereaux took on the moniker of Devarrow to try and grapple with that fact, then he’s certainly on the right track with his latest, self-titled album. Devarrow is a landscape that we’re expected to tread carefully, mirroring the anxieties and complexities that we all face everyday.
The lyrics and the arrangement constantly work to support each other on this album, blending to perfectly showcase the narrative. It’s the most readily apparent on “Ghost” – the way the strings feverishly build as Devarrow chants “get out of my head” is anxiety-inducing and awe-inspiring at the same time.
“Crashed Cars” is a standout in terms of the track’s sheer chaos factor. It’s the soundtrack of an existential crisis, with a constant thrum that feels less like a build and more like spiralling. It culminates in frantic, blood-pumping harmonica before abruptly ending and moving on before you can catch your breath.
Devarrow really buckles down on the album’s softer tracks. There’s an intimate atmosphere, fuelled by the hum of ambient noise, echoing harmonies, and serene, muted instrumentals. Though the whole record is crisp in its sound quality, that really shines on the quieter moments. The album’s checkpoint, “A Dream, The Veil”, is emotional and otherworldly in its intimacy. The piano is haunting, with Ereaux’s vocals feeling like ghostly laments from a past life.
The album straddles the thinnest of lines between chaos and serenity. Devarrow weaves between the two with extremely precise control, letting things teeter close to unhinged before carefully reeling back in. While this is mostly in the sense of how he’s structured the tracklist, this switch often happens in the course of a single song, like “Cold Sweat.”
Because of that, there’s no idly listening to this record, even if you try. It just isn’t built that way. It demands your attention and holds it hostage until the last track, although that’s far from being a bad thing. Devarrow ends off on the sleepy “Sleep/Dream”, so soothing and rhythmic in nature that it feels like a lullaby. It’s a callback to the opening track, with the same gentle harmonies and clean guitar. It’s an ending that comes full circle. Though you may not feel like you understand this world any better, you may at least feel like you’re not the only one.