The album cover art of Loyal depicts a real-life moment of tender affection between Jakub Alexander’s own mother and aunt; it’s the first clue to the warm, intimate experience of the LP, created by Alexander under the alias of Heathered Pearls. The Polish-born, Brooklyn-based producer and founder of Moodgadget Records explores his penchant for dreamy and dark ambient sounds on his latest release. However, like a true friend, Loyal never loses sight of its personal, loving underbelly. 
Fans of Grouper, Sigur Ros, or even devilishly dark London duo Raime, rejoice! Heathered Pearls could very well be your favorite new ambient project. Those who seek new music that’s fun, loud, and fast, swiftly move along. However, don’t give up on Loyal too quickly; the album is slow and tension-filled, but there are also moments of unexpected noise in these perfectly portioned, easy-to-swallow tracks.
“Steady Veil” is a particular treat, with its warped, continuous loop of trance-inducing distortion. “Precious Dive” is deep and haunting one moment, loud and enveloping the next. “Lower Dome” is like the climactic build of an EDM mega-hit slowed down times a thousand, peppered with melodic bits of noise. Soft, woozy opener “The Worship Bell” is the perfect first introduction to it all.
The sounds on Loyal may not be epic or grand, but great, pain-staking care was taken in creating these sounds, examples of subtly at its best. While the album can sometimes feel like the sonic version of Sleepy Time tea, the moments when it all comes together– of which there are several– make it well worth the effort. Alexander creates an intimate, delicate, wholly immersive experience on Loyal, and that’s something worth sticking by.
3.5 / 5
Heathered Pearls – The Worship Bell by ghostly
