EP REVIEW: Let This Rope Cross All The Lands – My Own Private Alaska

French post-rock collective MY OWN PRIVATE ALASKA were on hiatus for the better part of a decade before their re-emergence last year, reissuing their debut, Amen, that first introduced the world to what they call “pianocore”. That’s probably the most apt description of their sound, despite giving very little away besides the involvement of pianos and on new EP May This Rope Cross All The Lands, it’s clear they are testing the waters for a fuller return as it contains five tracks, four of which are older rarities or previously unreleased with only one original song in the form of Your Shelter. 

At around 23 minutes it’s an easily digestible length and the music straddles an odd line between easy listening from the piano and an abrasive, cathartic experience courtesy of the vocals. There’s shades of KEANE in the piano passages such as the opening of closer Ego Zero though the vocals carry far more shades of TOUCHE AMORE than they do of the English alt-rockers. 

Lead single and sole new song Your Shelter is the opener and the shortest song here, making up for its brevity with intensity. Pained yelps sit atop frantic piano runs and drums that speed along throughout and the track steadily grows in urgency until its end. Follow up There Will Be No One follows in similar footsteps and it’s interesting to note that the band’s style has remained so consistent despite the long break and this being more of a rarities compilation. 

Their sound is quite unlike anything else; the drums and vocals come straight from the emotional side of post-hardcore, though the piano is almost classical in parts and frequently sounds like it has more in common with a power ballad such as on the cathartic Red. Similarly, Speak To Me has a baroque-inspired piano motif that repeats all the way through with occasional variance in the choruses. In these moments we’re treated to pained screams that are underpinned by powerful chords. All the while, the rhythm section holds steady; while there’s nothing flashy about either the bass or drum parts, they’re ever dependable at holding the songs together and ensuring they don’t go off the rails completely. 

MY OWN PRIVATE ALASKA are not a band for everyone; their resolute refusal to include any guitars in a guitar-driven genre exemplifies that perfectly. What they are is a cathartic, experimental proposition whose return is more than welcome, though dampened by the relative dearth of truly new music from the four-piece. With a full-length slated for 2022, this will easily tide over fans and pique interest in new fans to explore their back catalogue ahead of its release. 

Rating: 7/10

Let This Rope Cross All The Lands is set for release March 26th via AWAL. 

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