MOS FET & Eustress – These Days

2.11.20 by Ryan Masteller

We’re already on shaky ground. According to Jollies, “‘These Days’ is a supernatural 1-900 party portal … Each poltergeist tells their story …” You would think that a tape label would be smart enough to avoid dabbling in such scary subject matter, but maybe it’s the relative youth of the label that’s compelled them to ignore such common sense. This is only their fifth release after all, so maybe we can cut them a LITTLE slack. Also, the label is based in Brooklyn, so maybe years of seeing firsthand how easy it i to hunt and contain ghosts have removed any sort of negative stigma toward them. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, “Ghostbusters” has desensitized an entire generation to things that people should have a deep aversion toward.

Still, the things that scare us most can surely also fascinate us, which is where MOS FET and Eustress come in. The duo, like a spirit-hunting Mulder and Scully (or maybe like a normal Shaggy and Scooby-Doo), seek to contact the entities of the spirit realm, and they do so through ritual-like ambience. Indeed, the dark synthesizer drones conjure the same type of atmosphere as a séance would, mist descending on the participants as the veil between worlds grows thinner and thinner with each passing moment. The synths, like chants, awaken the apparitions, or at least make them aware of our presence. Then the fun begins, as they start to interact with objects in the room, some rhythmically, some abruptly and, dare I say, scarily. 

All that stuff moving around, and nobody there to move it. Wow!

“These Days” is music for the dearly departed, those blissfully whiling away eternity, minding their own business, and drifting contentedly through unseen realms. It’s only when they are summoned that they become agitated, and MOS FET and Eustress are good at agitating them. Here, then, is the sound of my nightmares come to life, my deepest fears of ghostly interaction made real in sound. Terrifying? You betcha! Riveting? For me, surprisingly, yes! For you, yes, but not so surprisingly. Just check it.

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