They’re always keeping their enigmatic ways close to their chests regardless of how time and sound shifts during their absence, and that’s why Knifeplay are one of the most supernatural experiences in rock. That’s the takeaway from listening to “Spirit Echo”, the quietly released A-side preview from a new EP by the Philly experimental alternative band who has made a habit of coming to apparition before us at just the right moments. As with their 2022 breakthrough, Animal Drowning, during the deadening of autumn or last Christmas’ snow drifted-and-sleigh belled melancholic take of “Long December” for their annual holiday single, “Spirit Echo” sinks into this lulling point of the year with the kind of gentle grace that sees you through its darkness. Sprawling across an epic 10-minutes, it’s an ambitious revelation rich in detail. Waning guitars and some country rustics are pulled through the air of a climbing arrangement of dream-swept strings. Guitarist TJ Strohmer and Johanna Baumann’s voices add warmth to its cold breaths. You may not be able physically see their outlines, but you feel their presence all around you.

Knifeplay’s “Spirit Echo” single is available now.