My Bloody Valentine found an ideal visual representation of their sound in the cover art to Loveless. The art, a vague, blurred pink guitar neck, is as warped and distorted as the music itself. In a similar way, the snow-capped trikes on the cover of Bury The Sound's Autumn Magnets are suited to the sound the outfit produces: both exuding a mood of isolation and abandoned innocence, an ambiguous nostalgia buried under a tranquil assault of shoegazey guitars.

Hailing from Melbourne, Bury the Sound play a brand of instrumental shoegaze infused post-rock. Autumn Magnets, released digitally by  Hidden Shoal, is a thickly textured opus, but maintains a leisurely attitude. Their approach displays the hallmarks of a relaxed and dynamic group, playing at an easily variable pace and atmosphere, letting the songs find their own course, building and swelling for as long as necessary.

While it may appear so at a quick glance, the band's sound is not by any means overblown; their quiet restraint in performance brings a pleasant simplicity to the moods created, without the often unnecessary extremities employed in bands of a similar style. Their songs are glacial in sound, but at the same time possessing a lively sensibility. Over the three lengthy compositions that cover the work, changes in dynamics and color are admirably subtle, where other bands would be far less sensitive.

Drummer Shannon Hayes holds the songs together with very Do Make Say Think-inspired jazzy, undisturbed drumming. "Gemini Unbound," in particular, showcases the extent of his talent, displaying textural variety and a sensitive touch. Meanwhile, the airy tapestries crafted by guitarist Tim Clarke, bassist Simon Jaunay, and pianist Halina Porecki synthesize seamlessly into the bands overall sound. The dense guitar and keyboard combine with one another to create blissful sound-worlds. The basswork excels in the quiet passages of the three tracks, holding them together both rhythmically and harmonically. All of the threads combine into a musical mess of yarn that, despite diversity in tone color, is bound together in a tension that gives the band a unique and dynamic sound. The most appropriate way to enjoy this music is to turn the volume up, allow time to become irrelevant, and let yourself be buried in the sound.

Alongside more identifiable shoegaze leanings, some portions of Autumn Magnets have a progressive rock feel about them, a result of the band’s 70s influences. In particular, there are echoes of Pink Floyd, Can, and Talk Talk in their repertoire. While some parts come off as a little clichéd, the prowess with which the band approaches such structures excuses such tendencies. Elsewhere, there is more than enough originality present in the sound to sustain their importance as a band.

Bury the Sound are an understated group, and they will creep into the consciousness of open minded listeners. For a willing individual, this is one EP that will pay off. It is unquestionably a grower. Autumn Magnets is a release that foreshadows something great. Plenty of buried potential is ready to be unearthed in these musicians.

-Travis Cook