“Landing bolts” is a skating term that means executing a trick perfectly with both feet on the bolts of the board. Hagop Tchaparian uses the skate aesthetic, but his debut album is frayed, not clean. He is concerned with the gravity of thought before pumping blood; Bolts sets up its bold techno ambushes with considerable sonic meditation. The world of Bolts has been ruptured, and the record does little to patch it together. It stays a raw, woven fabric of emotion, coarse to the touch and riling to the soul. The unclear structure reduces any takeaways—it is better to experience this ephemeral explosion of thought first-hand and loud.
21/30
A favourite: ‘Flame’
‘Bolts’ is out now via Text Records.
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