MEGAFAUNA - I Owe This Land a Body (Review)

Written by: The Administrator 

If MEGAFAUNA doesn't represent the perfect antithesis of easy listening, I shudder to think what else could have possibly earned that designation. Indeed, in my review of MEGAFAUNA's unsettling and engrossing Venator, released back in April of 2024, I wrote that the project is "not a light nor carefree listen." I also called it "unabashedly weird and intense" and referenced both an "uncomfortable urgency" and a tendency to nail a sense of "terrible disassociation that paradoxically makes you hyperaware of your physicality." In short, I liked Venator very much, and found MEGAFAUNA's articulation of anxiety, fear, paranoia, and depression to be quite poignant.

I Owe This Land a Body similarly presents an intense soundscape, leaning into a lonely and foreboding eeriness. This is, after all, an album explicitly exploring the notion that "how dying is the last decent thing we can do." A sense of profound despair implicitly and intentionally seeps forth from the Megafauna corpus, and this latest isn't exactly a cheery listen. With that said, I Owe This Land a Body is less immediately jarring than Venator, and even manages to undercut its own sense of unease with some unexpected bright spots.

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​For example, "Un-make me, and save me from the hell of living" is borderline cheeky in terms of its comparatively upbeat tone. This feels like the soundtrack to an exploratory segment of a neon-lit pixel-art platformer. "Impermanence" goes in a similar direction, diving into dystopian synthwave with a fervor that only cements my assumption that Megafauna would absolutely nail it in the game soundtrack space. These moments inject some charisma into the harrowing darkness, and make the album listening experience more dynamic overall.

But it does take some time to get there. The build is a slow burn, with intro track "infantem ursi" setting the stage via a field recording backed by the encroachment of a subtle hum. I'm not quite sure kind of animalesque vocalization cuts through the ambiance--a particularly distressed catbird, perhaps? I do know that upon hitting play, my dog jumped up from a nap, alert and growling. Creepy stuff right off the bat, that's for damn sure. From here, the electronic elements build, with "Fear not the dark, my friend, and let the feast begin" bringing in a razor-sharp percussive element alongside a shivering and shuddering backdrop. It is minimalistic, intense, and intimate in a way that makes me physically lean inward towards the speakers. One must hear more clearly. The music demands it. This constant pull on the listener to pay attention to the details is maintained across the breadth, and is one of MEGAFAUNA's most effective qualities. The little moments truly matter. A single ding in a track composed of near-silence--take the anticipatory "Memento Mori" as an example--can feel borderline explosive. 

In a similar vein, I Owe This Land a Body uses volume and layers extremely effectively. The volume seems to fluctuate from moment to moment, element to element, giving each track an engrossing sense of motion. It often feels like key elements are lurking just beyond the veil. The first few tracks represent that aforementioned gradual build, with "Sea of Trees" reaching a volume so jolting that every hit feel pointed, like the song is glaring directly at you. It is cold and effective, almost uncomfortably so. In contrast, one of my favorite tracks herein, "Ghosts and Other Haunts," appropriately makes use of warm and ephemeral percussion so buried that it sounds spectral. It's a very cool effect, and gives the track a three-dimensionality that further encourages active listening. Follow-up "Isn't This Enough?" similarly plays with volume and layers, leaning into a sub-aquatic feel that, again, forces you to listen intently. I'm reminded fondly of a Metroid-esque ambiance on this one, and am half-expecting a jumpscare across the breadth of the track. And, lest we forget, the Alex Loach vocals featured on the title track are cloudy and distant, like they were ripped from a found-footage recording of purgatory. 

Tension is maintained across I Owe This Land a Body in ways that feels more and more clever the more time you spend with the album. The psychological investment demanded is significant, and for that, I love it. When it comes drawing the listener into emotional waters that we often prefer to leave undisturbed, I Owe This Land a Body represents another win for ​MEGAFAUNA. While unmistakably rooted in the same principals that made Venator work so well, this album feels distinct from that which came before. I Owe This Land a Body  is very well executed, and comes highly recommended. 

MEGAFAUNA - I Owe This Land a Body was released Jan. 3rd, 2024. Find it here!​

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MEGAFAUNA can be found:
Bandcamp
Ampwall
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