Sanctuary is a compositional and visual arts collective from Los Angeles. Their debut release is a double EP of celestial choral and orchestral music which opens with a quiet reverence and soon billows outwards thanks to a selection of sweeping, exhaling chords that start off with small steps and eventually take in the breadth of the Universe.
Sanctuary is a haunted listen, and it’s always a deeply emotional experience. It takes what it has learned from its painful experiences and inserts them into the music. Without them, it would be blank-faced and colourless. Their seismic music has plenty of width and scope, be it from a solitary, shivering string or an expansive orchestral collective rising up to touch the stars above. The effect is always the same, thanks to its expressive and generous music.
On ‘Masks’, the collective blend contemplative lyrics with thoughtful instrumentation, but the voice is absent from the rest of the record. It’s already had an opportunity to speak, and it doesn’t feel the need to say anything further. Despite the outreaching span of Sanctuary, the record also feels deeply introspective – it looks within as much as it looks outwards.
Sanctuary Vol. 2 shines a light on composer and producer Leviticus Penner. Penner was raised close to the northern rain forest of British Columbia and its overcast terrain has made itself present in the music, embedding itself in its thoughtful, calm, and organic tones. It feels as fresh as a raindrop, but you get the feeling that it’s also as changeable as the local weather cycle, and its darker tint feels at home in stormy clouds. Sanctuary is a wonderous release, and it’s all the better for its brevity.
Sanctuary Vol. 1 and Sanctuary Vol. 2 are out now on Safari Riot.