When we last caught up with Nate Wagner, we highlighted his abundant output of music that stretches across a sundry of projects. Since then, he has started his cassette label Spare No Expanse, and of course, released music. Just coming off his latest release with his project Leaaves (his second for the project on the year), Wager is prepping another record under his Lord Bendtner moniker.

“Life Answer” is a pivot in sound and depth, expanding from pop-driven shoegaze into something that is ethereal and metamorphic. The calming opener, “Cages” is a fitting companion to a dewy and fog-heavy spring morning. The tip-toeing guitars and diaphanous are heavy on the senses but never overpowers them. The beat-driven “Eat” is a knotty number that’s brewed with whizzes and warped fragments, while continuously layering upon itself. Auto-tuned vocals, a new element in Wagner’s music, adds a metallic sheen and cerebral bliss that tingles. A poignant rendition of Elvis Depressedly’s “Up In The Air”, Wagner transforms the slow and emotionally taxing ballad into it’s airy and stirring counterpart. Featuring vocals from Jordan of Moving In, ”Cold War” serves as the record’s closer, but doubles as it’s apex. Building in spectral and spacey elements, the track will have you drifting off whilst in the basket of a slow moving hot air balloon. Intimate yet grandiose, “Life Answer” is an affecting collection of tracks, swirling with Zen and awe.

Cereal Pairing:  Cookie Crisps

You can stream the record above (with a release for 6/2) and check out the dates for Lord Bendtner’s join East Coast tour with Pale Shade, kicking off 6/2 below:

Lord Bendtner + Pale Shade East Coast Tour

6/2: Radio Shack @ Raleigh, North Carolina 6/3: Video Dome @ Columbia, South Carolina 6/4: Pit Bull Manor @ Athens, Georgia 6/6: Heads Up @ Ocean View, Delaware 6/7: Crunch House @ New Haven, Connecticut 6/8: Creative Corner @ Long Island, New York 6/9: Trash House @ Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

https://soundcloud.com/leaaves/sets/lord-bendtner-life-answer-private-stream/s-9lyB8