In the liner notes of Both Ends, Gavin Murray, the multi-instrumentalist and composer behind the Trick Mist moniker, thanks his friends and family. The country of India, however, receives recognition for "filling the journey with warmth, laughter, music, noise, rage, complexity, and beauty". All of which abound on the album.
This debut, composed of various field recordings and stream-of-consciousness monologues, is a timestamp of his travels. From devotional songs performed in temples (included on Magic Dust) to the distant merriment of a wedding party captured briefly on the mid-section interlude Green Grass, these tracks present many unexpected tones throughout.
More often than not, the Dundalk native provides little orientation for listeners to venture through his industrial and electronic soundscapes unscathed. Noise, rage and complexity temper the aforementioned Magic Dust, while warmth and beauty emanate from Fraction and Abroad in the Yard.
The more sedate arrangements on the album (Beyond Your Means and Abroad in the Yard) are among Both Ends' highlights. While invoking a similar dark atmosphere and evasiveness to Animal Collective's Tangerine Reef, Trick Mist asserts a highly personal approach to his arrangements on this introductory LP.
