Infradig: Ecstatic Everywhere

By: Karl-Erik Stromsta

There is something terribly tragic about hearing an interesting band for the first time only to discover they have thrown in the towel. Such is the case with Infradig, a veteran trance fusion quartet from Tennessee whose quirky new album, Ecstatic Everywhere, was released at the same time as the band announced its demise. The album’s ferocious and often exhilarating experimentalism leads to the inevitable “What if” questions, which unfortunately will never be resolved.

Ecstatic Everywhere is full of genre-busting tension as the musicians struggle to contain their competing – and equally compelling – proclivities for jazz and electronica. The result is unpolished, imperfect and deliciously unpredictable. “Splutter” careens like a Mack Truck on three wheels, veering from Adderall-stuffed techno to downright filthy funk – all before landing atop a dancehall Hallelujah chorus. Like a long-lost DJ Shadow outtake, “Gorilla Math” prowls the eerie sonic outskirts with its X-Files piano riff and slinky spook-hop underbelly. Despite Infradig’s mastery of the frenetic, blood vessel-throbbing crescendo, they also display a rare ear for placid, navel-gazing interludes. The crystalline “Lani Har” swirls a robotic lullaby around the muted sound of shuttered letters flipping on a subway message board.

“Given the style of music that we play and our location in the world, we have done all that we can,” Infradig writes on their website, glumly announcing their break up. Though such a sentiment is distressing, Ecstatic Everywhere is perhaps even more poignant knowing it will be the band’s last. At the very least, it makes for a powerful swansong.

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