Introducing: US progressive space doom band Low Forest from Kansas City, Missouri!

Low Forest is a progressive space doom band hailing from Kansas City, Missouri.

The band released two albums, »Entrovert« (rock version) and »Ambivector« (instrumental version), on March 31st, 2023.

»Entrovert« starts on track 1, »Ambivector« on track 12. If you play them both at the same time, they sync up. The albums are a space rock dual-release, meant to be played simultaneously (think Flaming Lips, or Dark Side Of The Moon and Wizard Of Oz). »Ambivector« is the “space side” and »Entrovert« is the “rock side”. This deluxe version offers both albums in a 22-song combo. The dual-release concept originated with Josh King and Brad Schumacher in 2021. As best friends and long-time collaborators in The Man And The Scientist (Saint Louis noise), King brought Schumacher onto the project, and together they produced »Ambivector« as »Entrovert« collaboratively.

»Entrovert« is the debut full-length album by Kansas City-based band Low Forest, founded by lead singer and guitarist Josh King. The album advances the genre of “space rock” using science-fiction metaphors and immersive, heavy compositions to explore idealism, love, isolation, resilience, and acceptance. As a longtime fan of bands like Hum, Failure, A Perfect Circle, and Godflesh, the album is a culmination of two decades of King’s songwriting, with »Qu’est (Ce Que Tu As Fait)« written when he was 17.

»Entrovert« was recorded on an entirely remote basis during 2020-2023, in the home studios of Josh King, Halston Rossi, and Brad Schumacher. Of note, while the three have collaborated for years, Rossi has met neither King nor Schumacher in person. King is also working with a lineup of local KC musicians to prepare for live performances in the region.

»Ambivector« is a concept album of noise that accompanies the album »Entrovert«. »Ambivector« is designed to be played concurrently with »Entrovert« – you sync up »Sun Worshipper« and »Sun Warship«, and then each song plays together. On the other hand, you can also listen to »Ambivector« by itself. Try both albums at equal volumes, one up high, the other low, and on a variety of different systems.

»Ambivector« is a literal journey out from the center of the solar system. The album features real recordings of radio waves from the sun and all planets (including you, Pluto, no matter what they say). Track 1 is the sun, Track 2 Mercury, Track 3 Venus, and so on. Each celestial body presents a conceptual presentation of interference or ambience that contextualizes (or intentionally conflicts) with the songs on »Entrovert«. Adding to this theme, Schumacher also utilized the program Metasynth, a visual synthesizer known for generating the soundtrack to the movie The Matrix. Schumacher obtained images of the planets and sun, and fed them through Metasynth to create sonic representations of each celestial body. These ominous tonal representations are layered within each track of the album.

As if that weren’t enough, the songs of »Ambivector« are also written from a modal compositional standpoint, e.g. the song »Dust Spectre« is written using a C# Locrian bass ostinato, relative to the D Major key of »The Pleiades« (its corresponding song on »Entrovert«). On its own, »Dust Spectre« is a sparse and haunting meditation. When played in sync with »The Pleiades«, the Locrian riffs give way to the tonic of the rock song, and effectively replace the bass part.

»Ambivector« also features crucial melodies, harmonies, and lead lines performed by Schumacher on various synthesizers, which are performed to »Entrovert« but do not appear on that album. In essence, to get a full sense of either record, both should be heard in tandem. That said, each album is designed to be listened to discretely. »Ambivector« on its own is mixed to be warm, inviting, immersive, and trance-inducing, evoking ASMR and hygge experiences during standalone listens.

King’s five year old son, Faizan King, performs the piano in »Symbolic Interactionist«.
Additional vocals by Sobia Paracha, Allison Dohr, Ashley Rossi, Jonathan King, and David Farris.

»Entrovert« mixed by Josh King and mastered by Zac Montez at Time Well Recordings. »Ambivector« mixed by Brad Schumacher and Josh King, and mastered by Josh King.

Album line-up:
Josh King – vocals, guitars, basses, manual granular synthesis, hammer dulcimer, wind chimes, vocals, samples, guitar, bass, noise circuits
Halston Rossi – drums, vocals
Brad Schumacher – vocals, performed synthesizers, Metasynth, noise circuits

Live line-up:
Josh King – vocals, guitar
Cayden Hunter – lead guitar
Alex Dunn – bass
Keith Howell – drums

More info: lnk.bio/lowforestband

FFO: Neurosis, Tribes Of Neurot, A Perfect Circle, Godflesh

Bojan Bidovc // music enthusiast, promoter, misanthrop and sometimes a journalist as well