I love words. How they sound and feel when they roll off the tongue, so of course I was going to love the latest from Erotic Secrets of Pompeii, “Moving Sidewards into Lightning” just because they used the word glockenspiel in their lyrics. But I wouldn’t expect anything less from a band that makes me think while simultaneously moving me through music.
“Moving Sidewards into Lightning” is a fascinating study in tension and release. It balances a smooth melodic flow with a persistent sense of unease. From the outset, the track establishes its character through dual guitars that seem to converse in both harmony and conflict. These guitars build by creating a dynamic interplay that commands attention while allowing the song to unfold with purposeful unpredictability. The eventual guitar solo crystallizes this energy and anchors the track’s intensity without ever feeling forced or ornamental.
As per usual for Erotic Secrets of Pompeii, the song is ambitious and draws from Robert Anton Wilson’s concept of Chapel Perilous, a space where perception and reality blur. It navigates moments where perception and reality collide by translating the philosophical idea into aural experience. One is drawn into a landscape of crisis, uncertainty, and transformation, all without descending into chaos. The tension is carefully measured, with each element of guitars, rhythm, and texture supporting the central narrative of disruption and flux.
The accompanying semi-animated music video extends the song’s peculiar atmosphere with CF Sherratt’s hand-drawn monstrosities animated by guitarist Tom Hackwell. They provide a surreal and sometimes unsettling complement to the audio that enhances the song’s idiosyncratic identity. This synergy between music and visual art demonstrates the band’s meticulous attention to how their work exists in multiple dimensions by making the release feel like an integrated artistic statement rather than a standalone single.
“Moving Sidewards into Lightning” is a striking example of how Erotic Secrets of Pompeii continue to refine their craft. Its thoughtful construction, inventive guitar work, and willingness to engage with abstract ideas position it as a track that rewards careful listening and one that offers a fresh perspective on what experimental rock can achieve.
