Ecdysis is a word that refers to when reptiles and insects shed their old layers of skin or outer cuticles. Conceptually, the word speaks to rebirth, or better yet, a renewal, which sums up the long-awaited return of Darkside that happened last year. Following an eight-year hiatus, the duo of Chilean electronic producer/vocalist Nicolás Jaar and American guitarist/multi-instrumentalist Dave Harrington came back to release the standout album Spiral, proving that the pair have a lot left in the tank. The nine tracks on their latest album, stacked up handsomely to their 2013 breakthrough Psychic, and today we’ve learned that there was more music from the Spiral sessions that needed to be put out into the world.
Enter, “Ecdysis!,” the track, a glitchy and cacophonous number at first that unfolds into Jaar’s reverb-soaked vocals and a propulsive beat. Digital meets organic, in what feels like a synthesis of Amazonian noise before Harrington’s glorious guitar builds and jams the tune upwards into canopies of sound. It slots effortlessly alongside similarly constructed tracks like “The Limit” and “Liberty Bell,” showing that the pair’s symbiotic penchant for experimentation sees no bounds. “From the beginning, Darkside has been our jam band. Something we did on days off. When we reconvened, it was because we really couldn’t wait to jam together again,” Jaar said in a statement. “It felt like it was time again,” Harrington added.
Listen to “Ecdysis!” above.