Career Culture

While it’s true that Icarus Himself was once just a singer-songwriter alias for National Beekeepers Society’s Nick Whetro, Career Culture has arrived to blissfully peel the “solo project” tag off of the Isthmian indie-folk trio’s foreheads once and for all. Building on the sonic exploration and solid songwriting that made 2010’s Mexico EP such a tour de force, Icarus’ latest effort is a consistently erratic cardiogram that makes no apologies for its dynamic cascades.

After kicking the listener out of bed with tom-fueled slow cooker “Wake Up,” Culture gets a B12 shot in the deltoid with the walloping “Anywhere You Go.” The jangling growl of Karl Christenson’s baritone guitar grinds under Whetro’s own trebly guitar sounds and hiccupped crooning, filling the sonic space with rippling texture as drummer Brad Kolberg bashes away underneath. However, that blaring energy is quickly reduced to a whisper with the moody balladry of “Mornings At The Bar.”

Even though the hauntingly minimalist synth-waltz “Precious Holder” and the ambient stomper “Half Moon Eyes” don’t offer much refuge in their mixes in the first place, Whetro’s vocals are typically drenched in reverb and rarely unhinge from the proceedings. But those rare moments when the shy singer lets loose—like on the trudging “MCO”—always offer big rewards. But no matter where the vocals sit in the mix, Career Culture remains a shimmering update from a band that improves exponentially with each release.

Career Culture is available now on Science Of Sound.