The Duke Spirit

Castratii

Review: Castratii’s Eora

Castratii: EoraCastratii: Eora (Time No Place, 6/26/12)

“Kingdom”

Castratii: “Kingdom”

Borne out of Australia’s Blue Mountains in 2007, dream-pop duo Castratii forged for itself an aesthetic shrouded in hazy, haunting wonder. For three years, visual artists Beauvais Cassidy and Jonathan Wilson crafted textured soundscapes of doom and gloom that, combined with ambient and shoegaze undertones, seemed to reflect the expansive wilderness that surrounded them. Yet in 2010, the addition of The Duke Spirit’s Leila Moss and her ethereal vocals only enhanced the group’s already complex and haunting sound.

Castratii

Video: Castratii’s “Kingdom”

Castratii: KingdomCastratii: Eora (Time No Place, 6/12/12)

Forged in an ethereal, ghostly sound, Australian dream-pop group Castratti began life in 2007 when visual artists Beauvais Cassidy and Jonathon Wilson joined forces. In 2010, they were joined by vocalist Leila Moss of The Duke Spirit, who now provides another haunting layer to an already deeply textured style.

The trio’s ’80s-influenced electro-ambient sound, which is performed live in complete darkness, captures the eerie, volatile qualities of the Australian wilderness that is the group’s backyard. The high-contrast video for “Kingdom,” the first single from the band’s debut full-length, creates a stark and sensual experience with Moss’ dreamy vocals, industrial undertones, and dissociated imagery.