Bastien Pons – “BLINDED”

Bastien Pons’ album “BLINDED” doesn’t ease you in, it opens a door and leaves it there. You either walk into the sound or you don’t. It’s built from grit and restraint, not the kind of thing that begs you to like it. These seven tracks aren’t songs in the traditional sense; they’re more like spaces. Some are heavy and crumbling, others are stretched thin and eerie.

“Black Clouds” (with Frank Zozky) plays like a broken ritual, looping on itself with a kind of haunted persistence. “I Did Not Kill Her” feels like walking through a memory you’re not sure is yours. The title track “Blinded” moves like it’s falling apart in slow motion, more descent than progression. The album cover says a lot without trying to, two kids in oversized welding masks, looking toward something we can’t see. It’s strange and oddly grounded, just like the music inside.

Follow Bastien Pons on social media to stay in the loop for future releases in 2025. If this is his starting point, it’s going to be interesting to see where he goes next.