Northwest Passage

There’s no sign of “suspect second album syndrome” on this sophomore set from Brendan “Chymera” Gregoriy’s celebrated synthesizer-fired ambient project Merrin Karras. Drawing on his love of 1980s new age and ambient records, as well as a life spent fetishising over electronic hardware, Gregoriy has delivered a set of swelling, slow-burn delights that invite you to share an imaginary journey through the Northwest Passage, a legendary route from the Atlantic to the Pacific Oceans via the Arctic Circle that’s only accessible at certain times of the year. While some of the music is undeniably icy, there’s genuine sonic warmth too; after all, when you can traverse the passage it’s light 24 hours a day. In a word: gorgeous.