Ackerman come back with new single "node 4"
“node 4 “
Ambient Pasta Release
Written by Connor O’Brien (he/him)
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Brooklyn-based four piece Ackerman are back with single “node 4” out on Ambient Pasta’s label. When you’re approaching the end of a relationship, whether you know it or not, you may get in your own head, in your own way, and out of your depth. It can feel like you’re floating underwater, just beneath the surface, the water rushing by your eardrums making that all-consuming throb. When the drums come in just a few seconds in, the surface tension breaks and ripples form. Though it may be more comfortable to sit and float, that spat of bad weather that threw you out always comes back around.
Ackerman’s new single “node 4” puts the listener just below that surface, being thrust out of some kind of tumult that’s turned into drifting. “In the storm cloud / watch us tumble out” Bernardo Ochoa sings. This isn’t a hurricane, but one of those storm fronts that rolls through and spits on you all day, almost making you wish it would just downpour and get it over with. Plenty of songs come from the intense emotions immediately following a break-up or dissolution of any kind of relationship, but Ackerman is more interested in the self-reflection, deceptive lulls of calm, and gray clouds that float over your day in the days, weeks, or months afterwards. The song’s evocative lyrics and consuming production make you almost a bit happy to be in someone’s shoes reeling from a breakup.
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According to the band, this track was recorded mostly over the course of one night a few years ago, with the outro being added later. Each member – Ochoa, drummer Matti Dunietz, bassist/multi-instrumentalist Jordan Hahn, and guitarist/synth-er Alex DeSimine – share production credit on the song. What started as Hahn’s bedroom project has become a braintrust with a cohesive and subtle vision. Whatever they’re working towards next in terms of a full-length or EP, keep your eyes peeled because this has the makings of something special.
Animation and Cover Art by Dan Criblez
Node 4 is a breakup song, sure. The details – breaking up with whom, for what reason, how long ago it happened, how am I actually feeling about this – becomes less clear as the song flows through you. By the outro, the chorus crunches and fades while that familiar washing takes over the soundscape. The words, drums, just concentric circles emanating outward and outward. You lose the edges, making it hard to keep track of how they really got there in the first place.
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Written by Connor O’Brien (he/him)
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“node 4” will release on all streaming platforms on 2/22/24
