Trick is, in a sense, a swan song for this iteration of Gentle Heat. While the project will continue in a slightly different form, Trick stands as a final offering of the songwriting collaboration that begins with Joe Suihkonen & David Algrim and is run through the rest of the band consisting of Tim Mack, Sarah Clausen and Ken Sugawara. With that in mind, Trick can be viewed as somewhere between an addendum to the fuzzed-out, overtly shoegaze inspired sounds found on their most recent release, Sheer, and a blueprint of a way forward for the project featuring a more prominent role for Sarah Clausen‘s textured synths and vocal harmonies beyond the template of what is found on their previous releases. While the songs found on Trick are not to be viewed as a conscious step away from what the project has done in the past, this release is meant to be a first step towards broadening the sonic umbrella for what Gentle Heat can be. Is it completely redefining what the project is or has been previously? No. Gentle Heat is still at its core a vaguely gaze-y noise pop project that uses ambient sound to give the listener the feeling of being wrapped in a way that is difficult to create in a traditional rock band format. Hopefully it succeeds, if only in intent. Regardless, thanks for listening and hope you enjoy.

Tracklist:
1.) Myth
2.) Nightly Ruse
3.) Trick
At the time of this recording Gentle Heat was:
David Algrim
Sarah Clausen
Tim Mack
Ken Sugawara
Joe Suihkonen

Recorded at JAMDEK by Greg Norman
Mixed by Greg Norman
Mastered by Jack Shirley
Album Art by Eliza Weber
Layout by Kacey Keith
Artist photo by Derrick Alexander (@goodhaus)