I have done no research on this, but there cannot be a ton of records named after a weasel-like animal that can kill prey much larger than itself. They’re kind of a pain in the ass, even though they’re adorable with the beady eyes and bushy tail and furry faces. But yeah, they’re a menace, and it kind of makes sense why a band would name a group of songs after the little creatures.

San Francisco-based Brume (pronounced “broom”) are not like your average band making heavier sounds that situate deeply in doomy waters. They’ve made a habit of naming their records after animals, and their third is “Marten,” titled after that pesky and aggressive mammal. Funny enough, a friend of mine and I used to watch marten videos at work. We still text each other about the goddamn martens. Actually, I guess that title kind of resembles the band—vocalist/bassist/keyboard player Susie McMullan, guitarist/vocalist Jamie McCathie, cellist/vocalist Jackie Perez Gratz, drummer Jordan Perkins Lewis—as they’re fully capable of sinking in their teeth and taking you down, their songs often disarming you with emotion and darkness you don’t see coming until it’s right on top of you. This record, like their previous two full-lengths, is an experience, one that might not fully make sense the first time around. But if you keep going back, it’ll get inside your mind and take up residence, refusing to ever leave.

“Jimmy” is an enchanting opener, dark and foreboding, strings scraping and the heat slowly building. “You raise your glass to freedom,” McMullan calls, “you raise your glass to family,” as doom clouds spread, burning and smoking as McMullan warns, “My wrath will not be well contained.” “New Sadder You” is somber, low/high singing chilling, the playing churning as the hits come harder. Strings sweep as the shadows thicken, the moodiness becoming a bigger factor, crushing as the flames lick your face before ending in a quake. “Faux Savior” haunts right away, group singing thickening, the call of, “Can you devour my sins?” pricking hearts. The playing is slow and sultry, the skies darkening and threatening, the band going into full gust, the energy spiking as the singing soars into the stratosphere. “Otto’s Song” opens as guitars glide and the cello coats, hazy group singing hanging overhead as the guitars catch fire. The singing turns lush and emotional, the harmonizing making your blood rush, especially in the final moments as only the voices remain.

“How Rude” basks under the moon, deeper singing pushing, the strings adding layers as the melodies move slowly. Guest and Ludicra vocalist Laurie Shanaman’s unmistakable howls ripple, the playing erupting and pummeling, everything getting thicker and bloodier by the second, unloading the final storm gusts of fury. “Heed Me” dawns with dual singing, Shanaman’s shrieks raining down, sounds floating and glistening. “What can you do for me?” McMullan calls, the psychedelic colors blazing now, anguished cries opening the veins of serenity, letting it flood all over the floor. “Run Your Mouth” trickles in solemnity and soft anger, McMullan singing, “Words can’t save you, I’ve got all night.” The weight kicks in and flows through dreariness, sadness and frustration meandering through your brain, the shadows thickening and then subsiding as the final moments bleed away. Closer “The Yearn” flows in with group calls, a folkish backbone solidifying, McMullan leveling with, “I can’t replace every moment we have together.” Guitars weep as the sounds gush, layered with loss in the pit of your chest, psyche waves lapping over and covering bleeding hearts. Guitars char as the emotional climax hits, twisting at your wounds as it fades into eternity.

Brume’s melancholic doom and thick cloudiness arrive in heavy doses on “Marten,” their third record named after an animal, this one a goddamn pest. The playing is equally brutal and beautiful as the band takes you on a deep, dark ride into emotions that sometimes weigh a little too heavily for comfort. This is a record that grows stickier and more involved with every listen, and each time you take that trip, you unveil new levels of tumult and hurt you didn’t notice the times before.

For more on the band, go here: https://www.facebook.com/brumeband

To buy the album, go here: http://lnk.spkr.media/brume-marten

For more on the label, go here:  https://us.merhq.net/