calendar year - maps and flags

C+ Tier

Seminal Bedroom Skramz Calendar Year returns with their first new material since 2022 on Maps and Flags. Truth be told, this might be the most varied and original record that Blake Mawhorter, sole member of the band, has ever released, and that includes his stint with Lights Strung Like Stars. There is not one instrument, vocal recording or synth that doesn’t sound like it’s processed through several filters. This is, of course, the album’s primary strength and its biggest weakness, par for the course for this already-oversaturated genre. I know I sound negative, but the actual compositions on offer are delightfully gloomy and I like it. I also like the audacity to cover Street Smart Cyclist on this.