Apistat Commander / Lazy Eyelids split – Gnaw

Gnaw is a split between bedroom artists and close friends Lazy Eyelids and Apistat Commander, both from near Seattle, WA, with a theme focused on chronic mental unwellness. Released in April 2020, much of the shared musical influence comes from Xiu Xiu, Carissa's Wierd, Sparklehorse, and the Microphones. Unfortunately, track 2, "Lost Children Arc", is the swan song of Apistat Commander, who took his life a couple months following the release.

The title track, Gnaw, is elevated by an eccentric fusion of harsh electronics. The vocals here are as blurred as they are on other Lazy Eyelids projects, though here they seem out of place, especially next to the clean deliveries of Apistat Commander, who kills it on the next song Lost Children Arc. Bloody Nose’s delivery by Lazy Eyelids is as intimate as it is absorbing. The final track’s (Dogtooth) composition is far simpler than the preceding songs, though boasts an admirable amount of noise. Despite these songs being so short, their progressions are thoughtful and immaculate. The trouble lays mostly in the execution, however, as the quality of these songs are closer to demos in polish.

Despite being a split EP produced by two entirely separate artists, Gnaw comes together impressively well, like so few splits do. Perhaps this is to do with the similar instrumentation of the artists, though one could argue it’s the common goal of a cold, stark delivery that holds these pieces together so well. Furthermore, the EP does an admirable job of introducing Apistat Commander to the community. It’s a darn shame we’ll never see these two collab in future.

Above Average

Listen to it here:

https://soundcloud.com/lazy-eyelids/sets/apistat-commander-lazy-eyelids

Apistat Commander / Lazy Eyelids split – Gnaw