Orchid Mantis' How Long Will It Take is a 15-track drift through travel, doubt and the odd promise that things might settle down. Thomas Howard wrote and recorded it at home in Atlanta, and the songs move between dream pop, shoegaze and lo-fi electronics without sticking to one texture for long. “Lucid Dreams” leans into blurred guitars, while “Snow World” has the worn tape feel of an old game soundtrack. “Fate Incarnate” is more electronic, with bass from Charli Wakeman and extra guitar from Neil Young. Subway and rooftop recordings add a sense of passing through somewhere, while “Airport Motels” and “Boarding Calls” keep the album pointed towards departure.
The production is still homemade at heart, but Howard’s first collaboration with mixer Conor Ryan gives the details more room than a lot of bedroom pop. There’s bass from Miles Wakeman on “Light Weight”, auxiliary sound from Winona on “Time Erased”, and a noticeable care in how the quieter passages sit beside the noisier ones. The title track reaches its most unsettled point before “It Will Be Alright” eases the tension, and the closing “Time Erased” leaves things suspended rather than neatly resolved. Spirit Goth Records released it as the label’s SG50, with cassette and CD editions alongside the digital versions. Fans of lo-fi indie pop, chillwave and soft-edged shoegaze should find plenty to stay with here, though the sprawling track count and recurring uncertainty can feel deliberately untidy.
