Vicious Kisses

Marcel Sletten

Vicious Kisses is the full-length debut album from Marcel Sletten, the founder of Primordial Void. I’ve previously covered two of his EPs, California Delta Blues and the self-titled Marcel Sletten. It’s set to be released on the 27th August on both Primordial Void and Sound As Language.

Mostly recorded in the span of a week, Sletten calls it his ‘insomnia album’ after a series of emotionally turbulent late-night recording sessions. You can feel the emotion across each of the tracks almost as if you’re discovering a place that was never really meant for you. There’s a sense of awe and wonder matched with something surreal and hallucinatory. It feels as if you’re on the edge of falling into a deep sleep but you just can’t quite reach it.

Whilst you’re on this threshold you experience real life as if it were a dream. Shapes start to become more abstract and the ambience radiates a warmth that echoes through your soul.

The album is a beautiful journey across a tide of emotions, both intense and mellow. Sletten builds on his previous work incorporating folk, synth and psychedelic elements. One of my favourite tracks, Kali Yuga feels like a boundless cave shimmering with light as if you were gazing at a sunrise on the horizon.

This record feels like a representation of hopefulness, fatigue and tranquility. It’s bright yet solemn and hard not to love. If you listened to any of Sletten’s previous work then you’ll love this album, and if not then I’d highly recommend. The artwork is also beautifully fitting.