Timber Timbre
Sincerely, Future Pollution
(City Slang)

As Sincerely, Future Pollution opens, Taylor Kirk’s distinct voice is deep, ominous, and crisp as always, but there’s something lighter than the erotic depths of 2014’s Hot Dreams.

On the opening track, “Velvet Gloves & Spit,” Kirk’s imagery is unique and vivid as he lists the “haunted hotel room” and the “touch of your velvet hand upon my face.” Kirk goes on with a list of strange and sorrowful symbols like “our castle in the sand built too high too soon,” and “waving sails and waves goodbye,” while the song remains sonically simple and consistent. These contrasts create something visceral, embodying the contrasting sensations described in the very title of the song.

Throughout the album, slightly upbeat keys and light beats contrast with Timber Timbre’s signature steady paced sadness.

“Grifting” picks up the pace with funky, crunchy guitar riffs, swirling synths, and intricate, run-on verses with clever rhyme schemes. A particularly poetic and poignant verse starts out with “Wasted poker faces/Smoke in mirrored places/Sleight of hand, then weightless/Vanished, gone, and traceless.” Memorable lines like these solidify Timber Timbre’s claim to a jazzy bluesy style.

Sincerely, Future Pollution is quiet and deep. All throughout, Kirk’s lyrics and vocal delivery are just as cinematic as the instrumentals. In between the sad verses of “Moment,” you’ll find some of the album’s brightest moments including semi-uplifting keyboards and a wailing, echoing guitar solo.

Like their previous projects, Timber Timbre’s Sincerely, Future Pollution is memorable, cohesive, and sprinkled with dark humor.

Kirk’s imagery in “Sewer Blues” makes this track one of the most atmospheric on the album. His echoing vocals cut through swampy blues and steady, heavy beats punctuated by sparse and cavernous reverberating guitar chords.

The title track offers hints of the American punk duo Suicide. Industrial percussion sets the tone while clanging mechanical instruments crescendo, and the more melodious aspects gradually start to break through. After a lengthy intro, Kirk starts to paint images of barren futuristic landscapes.

“Sincerely, Future Pollution” is a testament to Timber Timbre’s vision, a frightening letter from a bleak future.

“Floating Cathedral” features soft rhythms and guitar lines, and lingers in the air with sweetness and simplicity offering perfect closure to the album. Timber Timbre’s Sincerely, Future Pollution may be a mid-spring release, but like its predecessor, Hot Dreams, it’s another great album for hot summer nights.