Siren Section return with the expansive, hypnotic world of “Separation Team”
After more than eight years away from the full-length format, Siren Section have made their valiant return with Separation Team, an album that feels less like a comeback and more like a carefully constructed universe finally being opened to the public. Shaped across four years of writing and production, the record quickly unfolds as a dense and immersive journey, blending post-punk tension, shoegaze haze, and glitch-driven electronics into something deeply emotional and strikingly cohesive. Take our word for it, it’ll suck you in from the opening notes on “CONSTRUCT”.
The Los Angeles–based duo James Cumberland and John Dowling have been making music together for over two decades, and that shared history is embedded in every corner of this album. There’s a patience here sonically that only comes from a long creative trust. Rather than chasing immediacy, Separation Team allows itself to breathe, stretch, and evolve across its 15 tracks and hour-plus runtime. It’s an album that invites full immersion, the kind meant for headphones, long nights, and uninterrupted listening.
The band’s self-described “glitchgaze” approach is on full display, with layers of guitars dissolving into synthetic textures, electronic beats pulsing beneath waves of distortion, and melodies that cut through getting stuck in your head for days or weeks to come. Despite the experimental nature of it all, the album still remains remarkably accessible. Hooks emerge from unexpected places, and even the most abstract moments are grounded by a strong emotional core. Picking an individual song would be borderline impossible because for us, this was the true “album experience”. “BULLET TRAIN” and “FLINCH” stuck in our heads by the end, but you’re making a poor decision if you’re not listening in full.
Lyrically and tonally, Separation Team explores their version of “existential sadness through a psychedelic lens”. There’s a sense of disorientation running throughout the record, mirrored by the band’s use of fractured rhythms and digital production. Yet it never feels cold or detached. Instead, the emotional arc of the whole record is what gives the album its weight. The sadness here is relatable, human, and strangely comforting, like recognizing yourself in a dream you can’t quite explain.
We’ll be honest though, there really is so much happening instrumentally, you might have to listen a couple times through just to listen to the words. Between the soaring synths, propulsing drums, and those vocals that are like another instrument in the mix, you’ve got to very carefully pick out the words and apply the meanings.
On the production end, the album is immaculate. Every sound feels intentional, from the subtlest glitch to the most towering wall of guitars. The attention to detail rewards repeat listens as mentioned, revealing new textures and landscapes each time through. While the record plays as a cohesive whole, it never grows monotonous. Each track adds a new shade or perspective, creating variation without breaking the spell. Sometimes things lean a little more rock or a little more electronic, but at the end of the day, that’s really what makes it so unique from beginning to end.
When you decide to trust the process and let the music come together slowly, that’s when you get a record as good as Separation Team. It’s immersive, hypnotic, occasionally overwhelming, and ultimately rewarding, a bold statement from a duo clearly operating at the height of their creative powers.
Whether it takes another 8 years for a record, we don’t really care, because we’ll patiently wait. They’ve given us more than enough to dig into for the time being, so please, click those links below to listen in and follow along for the latest.
Like what you read? Follow our social media and playlist for the latest in independent music:
