La Brea

On 'La Brea', the Santiago-based sextet Hesse Kassel delivers a formidable and expansive debut built on a foundation of post-rock and math-rock. The album is characterized by lengthy, sprawling songs that blend abrasive, distorted guitars and colossal percussion with quieter, atmospheric passages featuring saxophone and chamber keys. The group demonstrates a mastery of tension and release, weaving together disparate musical segments and talk-singing vocals to explore themes of modern anxiety, disassociation, and mental health.