Vespertine is the long anticipated and stunning restaurant score by THIS WILL DESTROY YOU.
Set for release on CD and digitally next week via Dark Operative with a vinyl edition to follow, Vespertine was composed for Chef Jordan Kahn's 2-Michelin Star restaurant of the same name. The score originally ran exclusively at the physical site of the restaurant in Culver City, California since its grand opening in late 2017. The program consists of seven pieces specifically written for moments within the building itself (and even the space around and on top of it).
The sequencing of the album is an attempt to mimic the order in which diners at Vespertine encounter different spaces throughout their experience. "Rumble" is the ever-present hum and ominous force surrounding the immediate exterior of the building. "Entrance" signifies the crossing over from the terrestrial realm into the inner atmosphere of "The Waffle" structure, where the evening begins to unfold. "Kitchen" is a warm, hospitable piece that accompanies a personal encounter with Chef Kahn. "Rooftop" and its celestially inspired movements often pair perfectly with clear nights atop The Waffle. "Dining Room" sets the tone for a multi-course main dinner service. "Exit" is another transitional piece signifying the end of the main service and setting the stage for a supplemental experience. Finally, "Garden" welcomes diners back into a semi-terrestrial realm wherein after-dinner sweets and beverages accompany reflection upon the evening's moments, all in full view of the looming architectural monolith that is The Waffle.
THIS WILL DESTROY YOU initially released the track "Kitchen" in 2017. A limited-edition picture flexi of the track was released at this year's Sundance Film Festival and now stands among the band's most popular outputs yet. View the Vespertine video teasers below.
Vespertine will be released on CD and digitally June 9th. Preorders can be found at
THIS LOCATION , where the "Kitchen" flexi is also available as well as all streaming services
HERE . The vinyl edition is slated for release June 23rd, with preorders to be made available soon.
Be sure to visit Dark Operative's Instagram [
instagram.com/darkoperative ] on June 8th at 10:00pm EST for a live chat with THIS WILL DESTROY YOU's Christopher Royal King.
Vespertine follows THIS WILL DESTROY YOU's Variations & Rarities: 2004-2019, issued digitally via Dark Operative May 1st. The first in an ongoing audio series, the collection culls from the band's deep archive of demos, unreleased tracks, variations on material that later evolved into something else, unused soundtrack cues, and everything in between. Variations & Rarities: 2004-2019, Vol. I is available for download via Bandcamp at
THIS LOCATION and can be streamed across all digital service providers.
"The aptly named "Kitchen" diverges from TWDY's typically pulsating orchestration toward a sparse, toned-down kind of space music, like something you might hear at a spa or an alien lord's funeral. It crawls toward a melancholic triumph, building on a steady violin and emotive guitar plucks, picking up new textures and instruments along the way." -- Stereogum on "Kitchen"
"...The tones are soft, warm, and cloyingly inviting. Everything swells languidly and every note seems to be just at the tip of your tongue... The way it all comes together evokes the imagery of soft colors dancing on the floor as light pierces a stained-glass window. You're filled with billowy joy, but there's a ghostly edge there just out of reach that also fills you with the uneasy feeling that the stained glass window could come shattering to the ground at any moment." -- Will Not Fade
"...a beautiful record that thrives as the soundtrack to a lovely evening spent with those you love. It may not directly bring you the comfort of that night, but it is a fantastic companion piece to such an experience." -- Sleeping Village Reviews