The concept for ESP Project’s latest album, Velvet Crunch, is directly inspired by the interconnecting networks linking the plants, trees and fungi within a forest ecosystem, and the album sets out to convey those deep connections through words and music. ESP Project surfaced in 2015 when composer, multi-instrumentalist and producer Tony Lowe joined forces with a collective of other musicians to create the album Invisible Din. Since then, a further eight critically acclaimed albums have appeared under the ESP banner, featuring various line-ups. Each has its own distinctive flavour, demonstrating the remarkable breadth of Tony’s musicianship, but there is a recognisable house style, characterised by rich and unexpected harmonies, gently unfolding melodies, sumptuous layered soundscapes, dynamic structures and, at the core, a deep and uplifting sense of warmth and affirmation.
The musical language of Velvet Crunch is an accessible and captivating brand of symphonic progressive rock, seamlessly blending classic and contemporary features. For his tenth album Tony has returned to the line-up from his second release, 22 Layers of Sunlight, with Peter Coyle providing lyrics and vocals and Mark Brzezicki on drums. Mark’s impressive musical pedigree includes performances alongside Phil Collins, and his upfront presence and effortlessly complex and distinctive grooves display the influence of Phil’s iconic style. Supported by the rhythmic vitality of Mark’s drumming, Tony’s soulfully expressive guitar, athletic bass and luscious keyboard arrangements intertwine in an intricate network of layers to form vivid, cinematic soundscapes. Peter’s smooth and dreamy vocals, which also featured on 2022’s Anarchic Curves, float serenely above the constantly shifting textures, giving perfect expression to his thoughtful lyrics.
The album is described by the band as ‘a tale of life, death and rebirth on the forest floor, encapsulated within seven songs’ and this theme has clearly resonated deeply with the band members. Despite occasional moments when Peter’s lyrics feel like an extract from a Biology text book – albeit a very poetic one – the language is richly evocative, its imagery often implying parallels between the plant world and our own, emphasising the rich interdependence between the two that we often lose touch with in our busy modern lives.
Mystical Tangle sets the scene for the album, describing those invisible networks of connection linking all the life systems on our planet. The languid contours of the vocal melody grow organically from the falling pattern of the first phrase, and the harmonies are relatively simple and static. Beneath this apparent serenity the lively interplay of drums and bass provides a more dynamic sense of movement, creating an intriguing counterpoint of moods.
Resurrection (on the forest floor) is a darkly hypnotic dance, describing the transformative cycle of death, decay and renewal that takes place in the lowest and most secret level of the forest:
Webs of white thread
The palette of communion
Dancing through death’
Sinister low pitched electronic pulses and drones establish a mysterious, trancelike ambience, while the modal melody and Indian tabla drum effect add an exotic world music flavour. The vibrant harmonies of the chorus glow like sunlight flooding through the branches, and the joyous leap in the vocal melody on the word ‘breathe’ truly lifts the heart, but the relentless rhythms and exotic soundscapes of the dance plunge us irresistibly back down to the decay, darkness and enigmatic beauty of the forest floor.
Coalesce is a gorgeously seductive track with a warm Latin vibe suggested by lilting rhythms and delicate touches of tender acoustic guitar. After Mark’s punchy drum introduction, Peter’s caressingly silky vocals introduce the hauntingly melancholic melody, and the unexpected shifts of harmony are utterly magical. Softly reverberated backing vocals and lush instrumental layers gently interweave, blending in the final moments into a dreamy haze – a perfect blend of music and meaning.
With its major key vibe and faster tempo, the more upbeat quality of Network of Ghosts provides a foil to the slower, more reflective tracks surrounding it. The lyrics borrow the terminology of manmade communication systems to describe the interconnected web of biochemical systems in the forest:
Programmed to pulse their ancient codes
Signal to ratio’
The assertively striding bass line propels the music onwards while driving drum rhythms evoke the efficient regularity of machinery.
Velvet Crunch is a track of striking contrasts: light and darkness, permanence and change, the depth of roots and the skyscraper heights of branches. Deep, resonant waves and pulses suggest the silent flow of ancient energy while echoing harmony vocals evoke a sense of vast spaces and a world beyond time. Ethereal layers of synths construct luminous soundscapes and rich harmonies. Shifts to a darker minor key and nervous off-beat piano and drum riffs create moments of shade which alternate with brighter, major key harmonies and joyously pealing guitar. This interplay of light and darkness builds slowly in intensity, culminating in an ecstatic chorus. But it is Tony’s eloquently soaring guitar that commands the limelight in this track, dipping and swooping among the branches, emerging triumphantly through the forest canopy in a final glorious solo and scoring the air like the zigzagging skyscrapers of the lyrics.
Prophets of Decay celebrates the natural cycle of life, death and rebirth. It thunders in with a progressive layering of explosive percussion loops, pulsing keys and chant-like backing vocals, creating an intricate sonic and rhythmic tapestry suggesting a tribal ritual. The lead vocals gradually emerge from the intertwining layers, opening out into a bluesy melody with a slightly retro feel, before the ritual chorus returns, overlaid now by triumphantly soaring guitar, before finally fading out like the memory of a dream.
The Touch and Timing of the Sun opens with a dreamlike montage of electronic, instrumental and choral effects, offering a vision of the myriads of interconnected systems bursting into life with the rising of the sun. ‘The soft play of sunlight on the rocks’ is evoked by lush, dreamy keyboards and more of Tony’s delicious harmonies. A note of dissonance intrudes, the sonorities become harsher and proceedings close with a darker and wilder version of the opening, perhaps suggesting the fall of night, or nature’s alternative aspect as the destructive and transformative power without which the renewal of life is impossible.
As we have come to expect from ESP, the level of musicianship and production on this album is outstanding, achieving a warm balance that allows space for every thread in the musical fabric to shine through. There is a beautiful symbiosis between lyrics and music and a dynamic sense of flow throughout the album. This is mood-enhancing music that can gently wash through you and recharge your spirit, but for full health benefits this reviewer recommends total immersion with eyes closed and phone switched off. Velvet Crunch doesn’t just describe what it’s like to be in the forest; it magically shifts your viewpoint so that you become the forest itself, experiencing the rhythmic unfolding of the seasons and the deep, intersecting pathways of resurrection and renewal. Scientific studies have confirmed that time spent walking in the green shade of woodlands affords countless benefits for mind, body and spirit. When you slowly open your eyes after a deep listen to this spellbinding album, you will feel refreshed, uplifted and in harmony with nature – a profoundly rewarding experience you can repeat as many times as you wish from the comfort of your armchair and without treading mud into the carpet.
TRACK LISTING
01. Mystical Tangle (5:32)
02. Resurrection (on the forest floor) (5:42)
03. Coalesce (5:17)
04. Network Of Ghosts (5:43)
05. Velvet Crunch (9:05)
06. Prophets Of Decay (7:24)
07. The Touch And Timing Of The Sun (7:37)
Total Time – 46:20
MUSICIANS
Tony Lowe – Guitar, Bass, Keyboards, Programming
Peter Coyle – Vocals
Mark Brzezicki – Drums
Cheryl Stringall – Additional Keyboards (6)
ADDITIONAL INFO
Record Label: Sunn Creative
Country of Origin: UK
Date of Release: 20th June 2025
LINKS
ESP Project – Website | Facebook | Bandcamp | YouTube | X | Instagram
