True Widow has been described as a “stonegaze trio”. This is not far from the truth. Their latest record, Circumambulation, is most definitely a record that defines True Widow, as well as incorporates their shoegaze, drone, and just some stoner rock that gives you a sonic high without the succor of herbal remedies.
The record as a whole was simply astonishing. My head swam with dirty rhythms and raw and visceral instrumentation. The vocals are part of the instrumentation because with this one, you can’t simply state “the singer was great” or “the lyrics were meaningful”. With this album, it is difficult to pull out and say one thing is better, superior, more/less technical, etc. etc. This band plays like a band, and the band is a sum of its parts. True Widow’s music, tone, heart, soul, are a sum of its parts, and once you take a listen to Circumambulation, you can appreciate this statement.
“Creeper” opens with ominous and indecipherable sounds followed by a creepy lilting guitar that becomes a psychedelic groove. The vocals reflect the dissonance by the comfortable progression of minor key combinations that move into a gritty and dirty David Lynch-esque vibe. It ebbs and flows, pushes and pulls 
into a bass/drum solo, dirty and raw. It slowly builds in tenseness, but that is almost indiscernible, but you will recognize at the end that you have been on a sonic journey.
The next song, “S:H:S”, flows in with an alarming, yet dirty and ghostly guitar. These are broken into shortly afterwards by the drums, and they pass the dynamic back and forth, all the while the vocals are choral in nature, painting a reverberous backdrop. They create a curtain of sound, as if holding down the sostenuto pedal on a piano; the elements melting into one another in a triumph of sound.
“Four Teeth” is up next, with the guitars acting as a lure to reel the listener in, and then delivers the drum and a female vocalist. This song is slightly more upbeat, with a The Breeder’s sensibility, but a modern and visceral tone. The song fills the sonic void with male vocals, and the reverb is pushed forward by the distorted and grungy guitar. This song is an orgy of instrumentation, covered in the sweet sweat of the glistening vocals.
“Numb Hand” leads the way with a hazy guitar riff that dances around until the male vocals emerge, not to over-power, but to dance back and forth with the guitar. This song has a stoner groove that commands you to close your eyes and sway to the sound and grit that oozes from the guitar, alternating its notes with the hypnotic drums, eventually giving way to the vocalist chant.
Midway through the album, we come across “Trollstigen”, which opens with what can only be described as static and white noise emanating from an old radio. It provides a nostalgic base on to which an ominous and menacing guitar seeps over. The female vocal sings through and over the top of it with feels like a warning that meanders into the dangerous menace of the looming guitar passages.
“IMO” is up next, lilting hypnotic arpeggio-like guitar riffs, drenched with silky drumming that distorts and smoothens, but continues to entrance. This song has no noticeable vocals, but is followed by “HWR” which is similar to “IMO” in structure, but with a vocal component.
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The album ends with “Lungr” and we are absorbed by a trilly, yet dark, guitar and a feedback moan. These sounds are then coated in the syrupy female vocals we’ve heard nuanced throughout the record. The vocals are hypnotic and they quickly fold into a slow and deliberate drum and bass beat solo. This is momentary, and we are pulled back out by waxing and waning male vocals which fill the space left behind by the trailing reverb of the other instruments. It’s a powerful song, and a phenomenal ending to this album.
I give this album 4 out 5 skulls.
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