Galamatica – Center Mass Universe (reviewed by Dave Franklin)

Most music labels and generic pigeon-holes are far too limited in their application. After all, can anyone sum up a band or a song in such a brief soundbite? And aren’t bands that try to conform to such a tag just wilfully clipping their own sonic wings? Yes, I would say that generic labels and the like are pointless and outdated modes, with the exception of one, Post-Rock.

Post-rock, or what I like to call “what rock did next”, works because it tells us that although music made under such a moniker will tick boxes with those who want their music hard, heavy and largely guitar-driven, it also suggests freedom and experimentation that only comes from relaxing the rules and removing some of the structures that seek to keep rock music conforming to what has gone before.

Center Mass Universe is a brilliant example of a band happy to label their music with such a name, and Galamatica is an excellent example of them at work. The great thing about the song is that it takes its time to get to where it is going, following a slow-burning build of cascading guitars and distant bass pulses, a ticking, minimal beat and atmospheric electronic washes as it meanders beautifully onwards. It is a full four and half minutes before things truly kick in, and then they explode in angular, coiled guitar riffs, industrial-strength bass growls and busy, skittering beats that push and punctuate the event.

From here, things ebb and flow between such crescendoes and more considered breakdowns, replacing the musical weight for sonic ornateness, building beguiling musical landscapes as they head for their final sonic destination.

Eight minutes, thirty-one seconds well spent. Very well spent, indeed.

More information at – https://centermassuniverse.com/home

Spotify -https://open.spotify.com/artist/1eLW5YCVTC1dO6FldG4Qxi?si=5lI4w39sSOC3YUdpLHfXgg

Center Mass Universe release their debut album on 17th September 2023