Post Death Soundtrack – IN ALL MY NIGHTMARES I AM ALONE
What does it mean to release a 90 minute album in 2025? Post Death Soundtrack (PDS) explores that approach on their fifth full-length album, IN ALL MY NIGHTMARES I AM ALONE (IAMNIAA). A true exploration of heavy sounds, experimental vibes, and everything and everything in between, IAMNIAA is a wild collection of songs. An amalgamation of a forgotten album from the late aughts and 15ish new offerings, project mastermind Stephen Moore deconstructed what it means to make music in our modern landscape. Throwing caution to the wind and doing what feels right takes a certain amount of chutzpah – here’s a bit about the process from Moore himself:
“This album is in some ways a complete breakdown in audio format. I find it beautiful and powerful to express what often is not acknowledged or communicated. I learned that from Kurt Cobain and I’m very proud of this work.”
It’s not often we get to dive into a 90 minute album – and reverting back to my previous comments, I ask aloud: what does it mean to review a 90 minute album in 2025? Where does one start diving into a collection like this? I’ve decided to start with album highlights. First and foremost, we need to mention PDS’s excellent cover of The Velvet Underground classic, “VENUS IN FURS.” An appropriately noisy interpolation of the original, Moore’s version features alluring female vocals, rushing cymbal hits, and creepy atmospherics that work well with the minor-coded dirge-like tendencies of the original. Follow up track “WHEN THE WORLD IS BURNING BRIGHT” does well in that tough-to-follow album slot, giving off a strong ’80s vibe, complete with a sassy saxophone accompaniment. Another album highlight comes from “Hypnotizer” – the blue-note-forward guitar riff is wry and sour in all the right ways. Reminiscent of a ’90s anthem, this one could have easily made its way onto Jar of Flies from Alice in Chains, or even Rubberneck from Toadies. We’re giving an honorable mention to the Nick Cave-esque “FAST APPROACHING RADIANT LIGHT” – with stabs of horns and a breakbeat percussive presence, this one could have easily subbed in as the theme for Peaky Blinders.
There are many personalities to be found across IAMNIAA, one of which is a swampy, acoustic-driven flair. Song’s like “GOD’S AWAY ON BUSINESS” have that “Devil Went Down To Georgia” vibe, heavy on storytelling and swung rhythms that sound like they came straight from the bayou. “Diggin’ up the dead with a shovel and a pick” add to that gravetender vibe, and Moore poises himself like someone you wouldn’t want to run into on a dark and dusty backroad. Similar vibes can be found on the percussionless stomp of “OVERSOUL” – this might be one of the coolest guitar parts on the album, showcasing Moore’s penchant for excellent riff writing. “RIVER MAN,” “SURRENDER,” and “RECKLESS FEVER” fall into this camp too, barebones acoustic ditties that hit hard, despite being sparse.
Admittedly, we’re more drawn to melody and pop songwriting, but there is something beautiful about the left-field that PDS loves to inhabit. If experimental is more your vibe, we’ll rapid fire some more suggestions your way. For those into conceptual stuff, try the straight-up narratives of album opener “TREMENS” or “WHAT’S HE BUILDING IN THERE?,” the latter of which devolves/evolves into the fleeting, noisily industrial curiosity of “CONTROL.” Songs like “AN ANYTHING” or even “MARROW” lock into a drone and stay there, opting for vibes as opposed to a straight-up melody. “GET YOUR TICKETS READY” sounds like the entrance to a warped carnival, showcasing even more of Moore’s guitar skills. By the time you make it to album closer “CRIMSON HAND,” with its hip-hop inspired drum beat, you’ll wonder where all the time went… But still feel like you went on an all-encompassing, if bizarre, journey through the weirdest corners of Moore’s Calgary-based mind.
While there is so much more to dig into here on IAMNIAA, this is one of those albums that you have to hear for yourself to truly understand… Luckily, you can start now – IN ALL MY NIGHTMARES I AM ALONE is out as of May 3oth, 2025. Check it out below via bandcamp, or, get at it on Spotify.
Categorised in: Album Reviews
This post was written by Nick Sessanna