Grossman , Morris-Smith - Curious Music (2022)

Curious Music is an ambient guitar record conceived by members of Sydney bands DEN/Exek during the changing of the seasons circa lockdown 2020. The fuzzy, downer headspace and cyclical feel that the duo explore across the two tape sides draws parallels with the work of fellow practitioners Jon Collin or G.S. Schray.


Sailing the course set by British post-punk hoaxers Deux Filles and building a sound world that will appeal to all hermetic six-stringers with a penchant for reverb, this is couchlock music of the highest order. Eerie, spectral noises flit across the stereo field and make 35 minutes somehow feel like a lifetime (and we mean this in the best way possible). Michael Grossman and Jai Morris-Smith allude to a fascination with early musical experiences informing their making of Curious Music, a break from louder, more punk-focused projects and a tragic boat accident tying the duo into a shared musical bond. The spacier compositions of Pascal Comelade also ring true here as a reference point, no matter where you try to ground your ears the phasers are set to disorientate. Guitars are used to mimic bursts of sound one may associate with a trumpet or a piano rather than riffing off the norm, the sound design explained as process of curiosity and experimentation. Grossman is a studio mixer / producer based in Marrickville, Morris-Smith has been playing in Sydney rock bands for close to 15 years.