Release Date: October 02nd 2026. Record Label: Fig On West. Format: DD/Tape
You’re Not Yourself Lately - Tracklist
1. Distant Sirens Wailing (2:41)
2. Fleeting Moment (5:47)
3. The Negative Thought Loops (4:20)
4. Awoken From A Bad Dream To An Even Worse Reality (7:58)
5. How Quickly The Ground Falls Out Beneath You (5:13)
6. Unsaved (6:46)
7. To Keep From (7:48)
Members
Music by Shalor Howell
Guitar, Slide Guitar & Bass performed by Shalor Howell
Drums performed by Matt Hendler
Pedal Steel Guitar & Violin performed by Ethan Fogus
Review
You’re Not Yourself Lately is the debut album from Ambient/Post-Metal collective Rapidly Aging who brings a dense and progressive style to the Post-Metal world as Shalor Howell (the creative mastermind behind the project) explores a slow style of music that allows other areas of Post-Rock. Shoegaze and Sludge Metal to fully form. Rapidly Aging takes their time in building highly melodic Post-Rock structures that are firm and hold steady one moment before a towering force of Atmospheric Sludge destroys everything for a heavier style of ritualistic passage to form.
You can hear influences from the likes of Pelican, Neurosis, OM, Pink Floyd, Earth and Russian Circles which shows you the type of musical surroundings that Rapidly Aging aims for. The whole thing does take time to fully get moving along but it’s a deeply reflective journey that allows the Ambient and Post-Rock sounds to appear within the haunting opening tracks of Distant Sirens Wailing and Fleeting Moment. I would consider these tracks the most straightforward songs on the whole album as Shalor Howell moves along into some unexpected themes of music for the stunning third track The Negative Thought Loops.
The Negative Thought Loops combines Post-Metal aesthetics with a gloomy Americana, Gothic and Southern Folk sound which is held together by a commanding Post-Metal presence. The instrumental passages are heavy for the most part but Rapidly Aging then aims for a subtle Alt Rock and Experimental based flow. The whole thing tries to strive for pure Post-Metal heaviness but settles for a great style of Post-Rock and Post-Doom aggression. Parts Neurosis and Pink Floyd combine for a sound that’s perhaps one of the most reflective moments on the whole album.
Fourth track Awoken From A Bad Dream To An Even Worse Reality never shies away from playing a monumental style of precise progressive melodies that have a certain Pelican (Australasia) vibe to them. The free-flowing “cinematic” journey of the track brings a low-key Psych Metal aspect into the mix. The song is equally spaced out and fuelled by tranquil Post-Rock themes that feel cautiously optimistic but quite content to remain in the darkness at the same time.
The level of music experimentation is excellent with some deft classical rock and jazzy scores starting to make themselves known on the second half of the album. All of the vocal samples that provide the main storyline for the album are taken from the classic 1974 French film “The Man Who Sleeps” with this album acting as the unofficial soundtrack. I haven’t seen the film but the samples used are magnificent where they are matched up to the music amazingly well especially within the Ambient sections of the whole record.
The final three tracks of the album allows Rapidly Aging to fully explore the heaviest and progressive moments on the album whilst keeping to a slight Orchestral delivery mostly on How Quickly The Ground Falls Out Beneath You and To Keep From. There’s a determined energy to how the music is delivered with intense Progressive musical beats becoming thicker and denser that allows the album to reach it’s emotionally charged conclusion.
You’re Not Yourself Lately is not an easy album to listen to but it’s the overall journey that Rapidly Aging takes you upon that’s the real highlight. For an instrumental record, Rapidly Aging have crafted a dark and mysterious record that offers no easy answers but you can’y deny how brilliantly powerful the record is when everything is said and done….
Words by Steve Howe
Thanks to Good Boy PR for the promo.
You’re Not Yourself Lately is available to buy now.
Links
Facebook | BandCamp | Instagram
