In Absence [LP]

"Stare Away, the solo project of New York City-based musician Ben Nelson, deals in music where atmosphere isn't decorative - it's load-bearing. In Absence, his seven-song debut EP on à La Carte Records, is built on brooding, synth-driven arrangements and melodies that linger well past their welcome. Rooted in the emotional vocabulary of post-punk and new wave without feeling like a nostalgia exercise, the record carries the shadowed grandeur of The Chameleons into firmly present-tense territory. From the urgent propulsion of "Parting Ways" to the cinematic sweep of "Familiar," In Absence moves between moods with deliberate precision - restless, melancholic, and impossible to shake. "Nelson's eerie, echoing vocals create a sense of unease and alienation that lingers like an uninvited guest who refuses to leave. " - Post-Punk. Com