7/10

Revisiting an earlier album can easily become an exercise in repetition, but 'Vox Pterous' approaches the idea from a more constructive angle. Rather than simply adding vocals to material from 2023’s 'Pterous', Dren McDonald uses the human voice to alter the emotional function of those compositions, turning instrumental reflections on grief into something more conversational and collective.

The original record was built from what the composer described as “guitar orchestras”: carefully layered single-note parts, recorded across different instruments and distances, creating slow-moving structures with a minimalist quality. Each piece was connected to someone he had lost over a three-year period, giving the album a clear emotional foundation even without lyrics.

The turning point was ‘Fading’, featuring Sophia James. Her performance demonstrated that the material could sustain a vocal presence without losing its spaciousness, encouraging him to develop lyrics and melodies for the remaining tracks. From there, the album expanded through a wide group of collaborators, each bringing a different tonal quality to the existing arrangements.

And that variety becomes one of the record’s greatest strengths. Amelie Anna appears across three tracks, while Carla Kihlstedt brings a more experimental vocal character to ‘Resting of Light’. Paula Frazer contributes to ‘Aviation Eyes’ alongside Girl Swallows Nightingale, and Lily Bloom and Daria Novo share ‘She’s The Sky’. The voices are distinct, but Dren’s production keeps the album cohesive.

Importantly, the singers aren't treated as surface additions. Their parts are woven into the instrumental structures, often functioning like another textural layer rather than conventional lead vocals. This keeps the album in an interesting space between songwriting, contemporary classical music and ambient composition.

His background in interactive media and immersive composition is also evident in the album’s spatial awareness. Sounds are given room to emerge gradually, and the arrangements rely on patience rather than mere dramatic shifts. The production also remains restrained despite the number of contributors. He handles the majority of the engineering and mixing himself, with Bryan Jerden contributing additional mixes on two tracks, and the overall sound remains detailed without becoming overcrowded.

But 'Vox Pterous' is most effective as a study in transformation. The original pieces are still recognisable, but their meaning has shifted through the addition of language and human presence. Here, Dren McDonald has reopened his earlier material, invited other voices inside, and allowed the music to become something far different in the process.