Press Archive

VISITATION

“tactile and unnerving but captivating until the last breath fades” – Foxy Digitalis

“Chilling.” – Outsideleft

“a shifting album that sometimes sounds haunted and other times at peace” – A Closer Listen

“something truly otherworldly” – The Sleeping Shaman

“it weaves and moves, evolving all the time… this is a singularly evocative record” – HearFeel

“beautiful moments are not far away” – Ox Fanzine

“Visitation is a stunning collaboration of serenity and calm laced with highly emotive inflections of darkness and foreboding“ – Scene Point Blank

“resembles water moving in another dimension, as the careful Mellotron emits waves of unique beauty” – The Daily Vault

“Eric Angelo Bessel proves once again he’s a creative musician who often bends the foundations of the genre to develop a more luxurious, entertaining, pleasant side of contemporary ambient music.” – Thoughts Words Action

“the reverberated sounds of Bessel are like that of an old amusement park, desolated and overgrown” – Vital Weekly

“The instrumental work is stunning, there’s no other way to describe it.” – Outlaws Of The Sun

“It’s music to accompany footage of interstellar space travel or undersea footage of strange wonders lurking in the inky blackness in the deepest parts of our oceans.” – Joyzine

“makes you feel as though you are present in some church or space where reverence is as natural as the sounds sifting through your ears” – KFJC 89.7 FM

“a journey of no return” – Loop

“a humble presentation of soft, swirling melodies, the sort of thing you can sit back into and simply appreciate without any sort of pretense or overbearing aesthetic” – Yellow Green Red

“If you love instrumental ambient music, I’d definitely pick up a copy of this before they're all gone” – Chain D.L.K.

“beautiful and strange in the manner unique to hidden spaces” – Various Small Flames

“engrossing atmospherics which grip the listener and induce a state of mindfulness rich in cinematic and experiential elements” – Destroy//Exist

“could be likened to a sound siesta but it’s actually an inner journey” – à découvrir absolument

“measured, musically articulate, and resonates unexpectedly” – Aural Aggravation

“spawns as if the earth is giving birth to the sound” – raised by cassettes

“a peculiar experience, but incredibly interesting” – Mickey's Weekly

“in its evolving repetitions feels like something intimately familiar with fond associations yet tantalizing and paradoxically comforting“ – Queen City Sounds and Art

“immersed in a symbiosis full of mystery and somber airs, distilling in a cinematographically lugubrious aura, lysergic permeations that provide the emergence of a succession of the most furtive images” – Music For All

“It is the music you hear in your dreams – spirit voices drawing us into a strange, spectral – and wonderfully familiar world.” – POST-PUNK

“a dreamy synthscape which embodies the celestial nature” – Rock At Night

“a wonderful ambient excursion” – electronica.org.uk

“evoking a cinematic mood that is alive with personality” – Darkenin Heart

“an exciting peek into the ambient music machinations of Eric Angelo Bessel” – Tome To The Weather Machine

“elegantly embodying a balanced sense of doubt and hope” – Plainly & Painfully

“a dazzling performance” – IGGY Magazine

“a spectacular audio experience that you won’t soon forget” – The Whole Kameese

“wonderful, from the dark and extravagant look to the unique sound” – Headbangers News

“feels like a soundtrack for a space odyssey that still needs to be made” – Stoner HiVe

“Simply beautiful and irresistible.” – Lost In The Manor

“atmospheric, very groovy” – Clean Nice Quiet

“built over long, modulating sounds, steady frequencies drenched in spacious environments and never-ending feedback” – Mesmerized

“Universe, mind and body, past, present and future become one, and awareness emerges from the depths of Visitation.” – MangoWave Music Magazine

UNDER WAY

“Their music is a fine post-modern mix in which anything goes” – Vital Weekly

“On the whole, the band appears to be rejecting genre norms, and they don't seem to be in any kind of safety zone, while their fusion of indie psychedelia, dreampop, and darkwave sounds isn't directly analogous to anything nearly customary.” – Destroy//Exist

“What’s going on here is so calculated and thought out, that it’s as enthralling as it is enchanting.” – The Sleeping Shaman

“tactile with pounding rain and open space yet somehow uncoupled from the physical plane too” – Various Small Flames

“In the atmosphere of enraptured, melancholic music, Lore City have become a substantial component, especially in the last, very productive years.” – Ox Fanzine

“dreamy, experimental, gothic, psychedelia that will have you reaching for the play button again as soon as it’s over” – Scene Point Blank

“would guide any seance into spelling out E T H E R E A L on a Ouija board immediately” – Yellow Green Red

“combining an instinct for deep, tribal rhythms with mystical, post-punk vocals that are as ethereal as they are powerful” – CHILLFILTR

“nostalgic and ceremonious” – Loop

“ethereal and bewitching” – Side-Line

“an ocean charged with mystique” – La Habitación 235

“It’s incredibly well done and the sound is excellent, both in performance and production.” – Razorcake

“Enter a Shangri-la to nourish the spirit, sonic cascades of tribal rhythms and transcendent voice of a reviving shaman.” – Lost in a Sea of Sound

“a very dreamy, psyche-friendly and experimental version of light and dark texturing that’s delivered like a refined science” – Take Effect

“personality and beauty one moment, and intellectual chasms the next” – The Prog Mind

“the feeling it conveys is not unlike seeing light over a horizon at night and feeling the sensation of a deep thrum felt in the body from the vibration of unseen machinery” – Queen City Sounds and Art

“envelops the listener from the first moment” – The Noise Beneath The Snow

“dark and compelling, a complex and captivating piece of music” – La Gramola Encendida

“Lore City invites us on an intergalactic journey with its deep and sublime sounds” – Zone Nights

“Weaving sounds to both evoke memories and invoke sparks within dormant ancient genetics.” – Onyx Music Reviews

“a confident walk into the void” – MangoWave Music Magazine

“deep and dark, like a nightmare, whilst also feeling tranquil and dreamy” – Click Roll Boom

“dark, ethereal, and enchanting” – POST-PUNK

“the duo create a deeply hypnotic, dark wave crawl through a deeply mysterious resonant piano, steady percussion and Laura Mariposa Williams’ commanding vocals” – Tome To The Weather Machine

“Lore City’s music combines varied musical styles such as alternative psychedelic rock, darkwave, dark folk, and post punk, and the new release, Animate, exemplifies this merger.” – Darkenin Heart

“exudes polish and confidence” – UpToHear

“bold robust beautifully constructed” – The Whole Kameese

“utterly stunning” – Divine Magazine

“Dreamy, floaty but also powerful and mysterious.” – Luminous Dash

“Under Way will be right up your alley if you’re looking for some flawlessly produced post-punk music decorated with a touch of avant-garde sound.” – Thoughts Words Action

“such a sense of scale and cosmic infinity” – Elektro Vox

“ominously meditative” – Independent Clauses

“an epic stroll through the Lore City dream worlds” – UNDERDOG Fanzine

“a desolate, but perhaps beautiful scenario” – Brutal Resonance

“Under Way will become a collector's item...in time. It’s just so unusual.” – Chain D.L.K.

“You can immediately lose yourself in the rich soundscapes of Lore City“ – Orkus!

PARTICIPATION MYSTIQUE

“Through these pseudo-ritualistic songs, they hope to engage us in their grand plan, inviting us to look out for signs such as a ‘fireball careening across the sky’, and behold the changes being wrought in the world.” – The Sound Projector

“a record born of astrological events and links between the spiritual and corporeal worlds” – Various Small Flames

“Lore City pack a mystical punch” – LOUD WOMEN

“This album is to be used as a portal to transform your perspective to a higher point of consciousness. Use wisely.” – Tonitruale

“...‘Participation Mystique’ is a great listen. Williams and Bessel are delivering captivating melodies, ethereal vocals and a place to come clean about all your past transgressions.” – Vital Weekly

“Delightful.” – Electronic Sound

“It’s an album to turn off your phone, the TV, everything, and fully submerge yourself because you won’t be disappointed.” – The Sleeping Shaman

“sweet vocals swathed in reverb, gentle elven melodies and intriguing rhythms, and an overall trance-like quality” – Chain D.L.K.

“Best absorbed in its entirety, each track flows into the next with cautious ambience, spiritual gestures, and sonically beautiful textures, making for a captivating listen that may defy classification but reminds you of just why music can be such a liberating experience.” – The Daily Vault

“if you like powerful, layered vocals and synths that sound like old sci-fi films where a ship floats aimlessly adrift in a black, screaming void, this is your jam for sure” – Razorcake

“In contrast to content contemplation and in contradiction to a musical tendency to stand still, the duo from Portland are incredibly productive.” – Ox Fanzine

“a fine piece of sonic artistry, stacked with many outstanding ideas and impressive sonic maneuvers” – Thoughts Words Action

“listening to Participation Mystique is equivalent to looking into the depths and being at the same time attracted to it, while remaining suspended in the tenuousness of an inert, fluctuating, preserving flight” – In Your Eyes

“It doesn’t feel like it comes from this decade, or even this century, it feels like they unstitched it from the fabric of the universe and wove it with the truth and teaching of every eon that came before, and all of those still to come.” – Yack! Magazine

“Laura Mariposa Williams’ bewitching voice is the heroine of this record.” – Turn Up The Volume

“A truly hypnotic and majestic band that you should all discover, and this album is perhaps the best place to start.” – Outlaws of the Sun

“Get ready for an exploration of a dreamlike, transformative state, and enjoy a musical trip without any side effects.” – Here Comes The Flood

“sounds like the soundtrack to a ritual, dark psychedelia with some heavy historical weight attached to it” – Bagging Area

“Their cinematic flair bodes well for a soundtrack to the great shift of humanity.” – POST-PUNK

“a great album which may need a few spins to really make an impression, but then it won't let you go” – Opduvel

“fine, fierce, furious” – East Portland Blog

“Lore City assembles and offers us a visionary telescope, to march towards, or even just admire, what is not only outside the shell but also far beyond” – NOVA MUSIC

“The album is a form of mystical dance, a transition, a rite of passage towards an abyss of subjective and archetypal symbols and images: the subconscious.” – Shoegaze Blog

“Without a doubt, Participation Mystique is one of those albums, which cannot be left out of your consideration” – Zone Nights

“A powerful, solid album with great sensitivity.” – Loop

“Music born at the midpoint between the soul and the body.” – Indie Rocks!

“dark, genre-challenging art rock” – Destroy//Exist

“an amalgam of atmospheric, psychedelic, dark sounds... all with a touch between Ambient and Post Rock, passed through Gothic” – NOIZZ Webzine

“Songwriters Laura Mariposa Williams and Eric Angelo Bessel’s perfected hypnoticism emulates an aura of soul-shifting transformation.” – Independent Clauses

“a breathtaking world of Art Rock and Post Rock” – Silence Musik Magazin

“a trance-inducing shamanistic ritual, meant to bring you closer to both one’s ancestors and the universe” – The Joy of Violent Movement

“sounds as if it were reverberating in a deep cave below the forest floor” – Tome to the Weather Machine

“close your eyes and let the music seep into your brain” – Faeton Music

“merging elements of Psych Rock, Post-Rock and Dark Wave” – Roadie Metal

“an intense reflection from the outside to the inside” – Indie Criollo

“a meditative listen, alive with an air of mystery” – Darkenin Heart

“sounds as if it were uttered by some long forgotten spirit” – listencorp

“Participation Mystique is a deeply atmospheric and psychedelic journey that reveals ancient connections between spirit and material.” – MangoWave

“natural and unique” – Artists Central

“a true oasis in the middle of a desert of sameness” – Roadie Music

“Lore City has made a seriously successful attempt to innovate” – Maxazine

“catchy and enthralling” – SoundsGoodWebzine

“an approachably-witchy take on repetitive drone-rock grooves” – Yellow Green Red

“a perfect Sunday morning surprise in that it fits the mood beautifully with its mellow goth feel, sort of a late 80s vibe but without the limitations of the production of the time” – SOUNDBERGS

ALCHEMICAL TASK

“listening to Alchemical Task, I feel like I’m gaining some esoteric wisdom handed down by forgotten ancestors” – CVLT Nation

“It’s hypnotic in essence” – Independent Clauses

“one of the best albums of the year” – Loop

“transcendental sentimentality” – Destroy//Exist

“make no mistake about it: their articulate brand of psych rock, slow-core, and dream pop resides in a category all its own” – Daily Vault

“searing broodiness that immediately makes you take notice” – Vital Weekly

“combines fine melancholy with structures from psychedelia and post-rock” – Ox Fanzine

“shoegaze-heavy / dream-pop adjacent art-rock” – Tome to the Weather Machine

“primal, precise, and immediate” – A Pessimist Is Never Disappointed

“the duo creates their own musical universe that exerts enormous appeal” – Opduvel

“Lore City have created an album which surfs its own hypnotic shivers; into which time and sense evaporate and all you can do is listen, dumbfounded.” – No-Wave

“All taken, Alchemical Task is an outstanding creation of sounds, dreams, and mysticism.” – Exposé

“draws you in immediately like a glistening black hole” – Words In The Earth

“an out-of-body experience” – raised by cassettes

“effectively moody” – Razorcake

“surrounded by the decay of post-punk style, and the celestial aura of feminine vocals inspired by folk tendencies, Lore City has created their own music world” – Threshold Magazine

“sounds like something that would play as the world goes up in flames” – buzz Magazine

“hovering among otherworldly soundscapes punctuated by ancestral archetypal monoliths” – NOVA MUSIC

“Lore City develops music which seems to fade behind the fog of atmospheres, to touch our senses with the tip of their aerial melodies, dressed in mist and floating melancholy” – SilenceAndSound

“feels modern as well as mysterious and ancient” – Goat Palace

“a profoundly detailed, complex record that demands your utmost attention” – Thoughts Words Action

“dial up and tune into a higher plane of existence” – The Joy of Violent Movement

“alternating between bliss and serenity” – Two Story Melody

“ethereal wonder” – POST-PUNK

“one limitless record” – Start Track

“blends Psych Rock, Indie Rock and Post-Rock” – Outlaws of the Sun

“genre-wise the duo cover a lot of ground” – Beehive Candy

“a dive into the listener’s subconscious is unavoidable” – Last Day Deaf

“a reinterpretation of time and space, of the soul too” – Litzic

“an intricate ride through the duo’s minds and hearts with their distinctive sound as the vehicle and Laura’s vocals as the driver” – Beat Buzz News

“The return of Lore City is to be savored with the expectation of a catharsis.” – Shoegaze Blog

“there’s something refreshing in the vastness the duo conjure, and the mists that seem to roll along there” – The Obelisk

“sounds like an enchanted forest in a fantasy film, filled with fog and mysterious beings” – Zimel

“Lore City’s latest album is a gentle, flowing piece which gradually washes over the listener” – The Elite Extremophile

“straddles the line between art and magic” – E:\music\

“minimalist post-punk” – Maxazine

“combines elements of Psych Rock, Post-Rock, and Dream Pop” – She Makes Music

“the intense sound of Lore City wraps itself around the soul and opens unknown gates of consciousness” – Muza Magazin

“could easily be your new favourite artist” – Tinnitist

KILL YOUR DREAMS

“heat sinking gem of droning euphoria” – Impose Magazine

“guard your hearts and your minds before you press play” – Sly Vinyl

“It’s all quite moody in Lore City, with lots of swirling whooshes, guitar strumming and someone, somewhere beating a drum with their hands” – Collective Zine

“few bands really inhabit the idea of the sound overwhelming a person in their entirety the way that Lore City does” – Independent Clauses

“Kill Your Dreams is less about the death of 'dreams,' perhaps, than about the death of nostalgia, perhaps even more… the death of any illusion that the past can ever be better than it was” – Goat Palace

“some of the finest properties of goth rock, psychedelic rock, shoegaze, and ambient music” – Thoughts Words Action

“haunting vocals and some other-worldly production” – State.ie

“billowing with dark tension and raw vocals, like a sad country ballad stuck in a hurricane” – CMJ

“should be experienced at maximum volume” – Raised by Gypsies

“Lore City might well turn your world inside out and upside down” – Weekend Notes

“awash with shoegazey reverb and a darkness of tone that constantly shifts to allow glimmers of light to shine through” – Crossradar

“light your candles and prepare yourself for a surreal music journey” – Scandalous

“Lore City finds a way to get into your head” – Sell Out Records

“atmospheric” – Sounds Better with Reverb

“somber and spiritual” – In Your Speakers

“drenched in reverb and driven by cathartic beats, it's a force to be reckoned with” – Inside the Machine

ABSENCE AND TIME

“Lore City aren’t here to entertain, they’re here for your soul” – Music Liberation

“This is just so powerful” – Raised by Gypsies

“There’s a sparseness and detached cool to Lore City that’s really seductive” – Noise for Zeros

“dark and infectious” – Culture Addicts

“absolutely beautiful” – Dingus