Emma Ruth Rundle has spent the last decade refining a kind of heavy music that doesn't rely on volume alone. These Killing Times, recorded with Sonny Diperri at LMNL in Santa Monica, pushes further into that space where distorted guitars meet sparse piano and everything moves at its own deliberate pace. The core band is tight, Jess Gowrie on drums, Troy Zeigler on bass, but the record opens up for guests who add weight rather than decoration. Patrick Shiroishi's saxophone on "God's Picture" cuts through without grandstanding, and the strings on "Anvil" sit low in the mix where they belong.
Rundle's voice stays front and the production gives it room to work, whether she's alone on keys for the closing track or layered with Marissa Nadler and others. Nick Reinhart and Gina Gleason trade lead lines on "Catherine Wheel" that feel like conversation rather than showcase. The tempos rarely push. When they do, as on "Powerless", the momentum feels earned. Diperri's swarmatron shows up on "Enough" and the effect is unsettling in a way that suits the material.
This is for people who want their heavy music to breathe, who don't mind when a song takes its time getting where it's going. The grungegaze tag fits if you think of grunge slowed to a crawl and shoegaze stripped of its sweetness. Not an easy listen, but a deliberate one.
