7/10

Despite originally emerging back in 2021, it has only been in the past year that Swedish-American duo Ashes & Fire have really begun to charge across the new music scene. Spending much of the last few months turning out a wealth of riveting EP and single releases, all aiming to build and cultivate a distinctive direction they can call their own, and add further flair to their enigmatic aesthetic at every turn. And with plenty of new material now under their belts, they return to unveil their eagerly-awaited debut album 'In The Mourning Light', a record brimming with tantalising textures throughout.

With an astonishing 26 tracks to its name, 'In The Mourning Light's intimidating size is quickly washed away when you finally get into the meat of it. Looking to cement much of their immersive legacy to date by including many of the previously unveiled efforts from this past year, their newest full-length makes for a beautifully rich and comforting listen. Swapping back and forth between lively anthems and a more sombre atmosphere throughout, the pair find themselves in a brilliantly adventurous guise that fuels this enormous spell of creativity they have been on lately.

While its sprawling runtime does sometimes hinder the flow of this new offering, 'In The Mourning Light' still manages to pack itself with plenty of warm and inviting moments. Brimming with this illustrious sense of innovation at every turn, Ashes & Fire's hard work has certainly paid off here.