*200 copies limited edition* Hild is the first full-length collaboration between zakè (Zach Frizzell) and UK-based rhubiqs (Tom Squires), whose transcontinental dialogue yields an avalanche of deep drone, spacious piano, and immersive texture, alternately colossal and weightless. Both artists have released solo works with Germany’s Affin label (headed by Joachim Spieth and Markus Guentner), where their kinship found its footing in naturally-inspired environments full of rich harmony and understated elegance.

Each of Hild’s four movements arose from sketches crafted by Squires and passed to Frizzell; across several weeks, ideas were modified and recombined through a prolific exchange, during which the artists found a rare wavelength. “I am drawn to sounds that already contain history and identity,” Frizzell notes, “those that feel like they have been waiting patiently for their moment.” Squires follows, “Once we got things running, it all came together quite fluidly; we were both dialed in, focusing exclusively on this record during a very intense phase of composition.”

As a final remark, Frizzell states, “When Hild began to take shape, I was working through a sense of suppression and a broad, underlying uncertainty that was difficult to shake, so the process of creating became a way to confront that head-on. To me, these tracks do two things at once: they recognize those feelings for what they are, without trying to romanticize them, while also pushing back against them. It’s a balance of melancholy and purpose, with a quiet weight that still carries a sense of spiritual action and forward motion.”

Hild’s cover image is an unretouched Polaroid SX70 photo taken by the duo’s colleague, Benoît Pioulard, in Acadia National Park during a midwinter hike some years ago. In it, we see grassy reeds trapped in cobalt ice, a contrast of vibrancy and hibernation frozen in momentary flow.