Forest Swords’ “Arms Out” Signals an Ambitious Turn for New Album Compassion

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For all its menace and foggy atmosphere, much of the music the producer Matthew Barnes has released as Forest Swords thus far is pretty good for putting on in the background of whatever you’re doing and zoning out: repetitive, hip-hoppy drums, dubby basslines, samples that contribute to the patchwork texture of a given track rather than grabbing you by the throat.

“Arms Out” a new track released today, signals that maybe that won’t be the case for Barnes anymore. Built on chopped-up vocals and…

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