Dead Space, The

***After a six-year absence, The Dead Space returns with Chlorine Sleep. Recorded days before their breakup in 2015, this album marks a turning point, both the trio of Quin Galavis, Garrett Haden and Jenny Arthur, as well as for their collective scene in Austin, Texas. The Dead Space never quite fit in since forming in 2008, and never really cared to. The trio quietly managed to craft their own brand of tightly wound art rock, equal parts bleak and brooding, presented in stark tones. Whether their allergy to artifice was a roadblock, in keeping with their character or some combination of both, it's hard to say. Either way, the band was very much on the outside looking in prior to the release of their well-received first album, 2014's Faker. And when it finally seemed they could reach a broader audience, they did what any good band should do—they broke up.  
Slightly before that, however, the band returned to Ian Rundell’s Second Hand Tacos studio to record Chlorine Sleep. The record carries their history forward with arduous blasts of force, contrasting with lean efficiency, exposing a sense of fragility and vulnerability atypical of their prior works. With guitarist Garrett Hadden’s return to Texas after an extended spell in Seattle, the group are readying a return to the stage later this year and next with a renewed vision and sense of purpose. The Dead Space’s ferocious second album expands on previous themes while forging a new path all their own. It’s great to have them back.