8/10

Some records play like a scrapbook of influences. Others, like The Wands Collective’s debut 'Four Corner Circle', feel more like conversation; a living, breathing dialogue between traditions, continents, and personal histories.

Formed across oceans and time zones, the quartet’s story could have easily remained one of distance. Instead, recording in New Orleans gave them a meeting ground where their distinct lineages could spark. The result is a collection that lets their styles and inspirations twist, overlap, and bloom into something neither predictable nor contrived.

The opener 'Fairies' sets the tone with dreamlike textures that hover between myth and modernity, Sasha Gefen’s voice guiding us through a haze of wonder. By the time 'Birds For Leaves' arrives, the group leans into groove, allowing percussion to converse with bass in a way that feels both earthy and intricate. 'Waterfalls' pushes deeper into pulse and immediacy, grounding the more spectral elements in visceral rhythm.

What stands out most across 'Four Corner Circle' is how naturally its contradictions cohere. Caribbean cadence doesn’t clash with Slavic motifs; instead, they seem destined to meet. The jazz improvisation doesn’t undercut structure; it heightens the sense of flow. Even the synth passages never feel ornamental, but essential to the collective’s vision.

This is music that resists being boxed in, but not out of restlessness or novelty. The Wands Collective sound more like they’re opening a door into a shared space where difference becomes harmony, and where listening becomes its own form of creation.