From Overseas & City of Dawn 'Misty Memories' [LP]

160 gram LP on 'transparent oxidized iron' vinyl housed in a matte jacket. PITP branded center labels. Record placed in black, anti-static inner sleeve with a .75 gauge archival polypropylene lining. Shrinkwrapped. Edition of 200. Bandcamp download code included.

‘Misty Memories’ is the first collaborative project from From Overseas and City of Dawn.

Brought together by a love of melodic guitar-based ambient music and tape loops, Kévin and Damien slowly pieced together ideas that grew into this delicate album.

Nostalgic tape sounds, lo-fi strings, mesmerizing guitar loops, and Kévin’s use of subtle vocal samples create a dream world filled with calm and stillness. Friend and collaborator, Cynthia Bernard (marine eyes) contributes vocals on two tracks, “Weathering” and “Waves Vanished,” adding layers of lush atmosphere. Bringing forgotten moments back to life, each track is like a souvenir from the past drifting on top of gentle waters.

“‘Misty Memories’ is a soundtrack for our memories and time passing by.” - K&D

From Overseas & City of Dawn are:

Kévin Séry: Guitar, OP-1, Vocals
Damien Duque: Guitar, Synths, Tape loop textures & manipulation

Written and Produced by From Overseas & City of Dawn
Vocals on 'Weathering' and 'Waves Vanished' by Cynthia Bernard
Mixed by Damien Duque, Kévin Séry and James Bernard
Mastered at Schwebung Mastering by Stephan Mathieu
Photography by Kévin Séry
Design and layout by zakè

©℗ Past Inside the Present
This is PITP-V061

◾️◾️◾️ REVIEWS

"Tape and guitar loops combine to create mesmerizing atmospherics, like watching the Northern Lights ripple in the sky."

- Bandcamp, New & Notable

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"Regular collaborator with label boss zake, City of Dawn teams up with From Overseas, an aptly named producer based on Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean. The result is classic Past Inside The Present - quivering, celestial ambient music that would fit into the drone category if it weren't for the fact it's constantly, subtly changing and evolving almost imperceptibly. Utterly horizontal in attitude, utterly heavenly in realisation, this is a corker even by PITP's very high standards."

- Juno Records

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"The latest from label Past Inside The Present is a free fall into sonic bliss with the collaborative Misty Memories. Bringing together for the first time artists From Overseas and City Of Dawn, this ambient/new age record brings together “nostalgic tape sounds, lo-fi strings, mesmerizing guitar loops, and Kévin(Séry’s) use of subtle vocal samples create a dream world filled with calm and stillness.”

From Overseas is musician Kévin Séry, while City Of Dawn is Damien Duque. These two combine their sonic strengths together on Misty Memories, a deep dive into heady soundscapes and healing vibes. Both have plenty of musical explorations under their belts, and working together with Past Inside The Present they’ve made the perfect zone out record.

“‘Misty Memories’ is a soundtrack for our memories and time passing by.” That is how Kévin and Damien sum up their first collaborative album, and when you hit play or drop the needle on this LP you get it. It’s a sound that is all consuming, like falling into a memory. Tracks like “Driftwood” and “Falling Leaves” swell slowly from their beginnings; the idea of a time and place blossom, followed by the emotions that come with those moments. It’s like looking down a long hallway lined with doors, and behind those doors are moments in time. These songs are sonic bridges that lead to those moments.

While mostly instrumental, there are vocals. Besides Kévin Séry’s use of vocals as sonic layers, Marine Eyes’ Cynthia Bernard offers her ethereal vocals in layered harmonies on tracks “Weathering” and “Waves Vanished”. These vocal moments put me in mind of post-rock/dream pop outfit Besnard Lakes, a band that flirts with ambient touches on their mostly pop rock records. You can almost envision glacial walls climbing to the heavens as these tracks play on. It’s quite stunning.

The 8 tracks that fill out Misty Memories take shape like early morning fog, and as the sun wakes they disappear as quickly as they arrived. Kévin Séry and Damien Duque use heavily effected guitars, synths, vocals, and tape loops to conjure swaths of heady noise and a sense of nostalgic melancholy. It’s a dichotomy of emotional riches, by finding yourself lost in the ether of memory and time. The joy of remembering a moment with a loved one, while finding sadness in knowing that loved one is gone. Misty Memories plays and emanates from that; mining your mind for those moments of both comfort and loss. In the end, though, there’s still peace at the center."

- J. Hubner, Complex Distractions