Jarl – Nerve Cell Threads Electronics (Digital/CD Album – Zoharum)
Erik Jarl has been extremely prolific for more than twenty years now. With this new release, he has created another album that serves as a follow-up to a trilogy focusing on the brain and nervous system; the title of the new work speaks for itself.
Two tracks exceed the twenty-minute mark—a characteristic feature of the Swedish artist’s work by now. In my view, however, they often run a little too long, resulting in a lack of variation within the compositions. I am therefore more impressed by the shorter tracks, even though these still clock in at over six and eight minutes, respectively. Here, Jarl creates a mysterious sonic universe using deep, vibrating analogue tones layered with numerous effects, giving the sound a darker quality than usual. The sustained tones often have a hypnotic effect; at times, they sound almost misty, evoking an imaginary astral dimension. Certain passages possess a strong visual quality that sparks the imagination and totally fit within the realms of Cinematic and Dark-Ambient music.
Despite finding two of the tracks somewhat overlong, I consider this one of Jarl’s finest works, with the magnificent “Electrical Impulse 3/4” standing out as a particular highlight. (Rating:8).
The album was released on 23 February 2026 on Zoharum and runs four tracks titled “Electrical Impulse – 1/4” through “Electrical Impulse – 4/4”, filling close to sixty minutes. It is available on CD in a six-panel digipack, on cassette and as a download.
Listen to “Electrical Impulse ¾”:
About Jarl
Jarl is the Dark Ambient and Cinematic project of Swedish artist Erik Jarl, who works from Norrkoping in Ostergotland. The project has been active for more than two decades and is built around a consistent formula of analog sound treatments and slowly repeating, hypnotic passages. Erik Jarl is also known for his work in IRM and Skin Area.
Side-Line first covered the project with the double album “Negative Rotation / Intensive Fracture” in 2018. Jarl has released albums on the Polish label Zoharum on a near-annual basis since, including “Inner Domain” (2020), “Hyperacusis” (2021), “Phonophobia” (2022), “Mindrotation” (2023) and “Isolation Colours” (2024), alongside “Spectrum Confusion” on Reverse Alignment in 2022.
The trilogy referred to here consists of “Neurotransmitters Sphere Music”, “Receptor Radiation” and “Synapse Variation Report”, released on 7 April 2025, three Zoharum albums that share both theme and sound and that deal in turn with neurotransmitters, receptors and synapses. Zoharum describes “Nerve Cell Threads Electronics” as an informal fourth part of that series, and the label states the tracks carry a darker tone than the earlier instalments while keeping the sequencer-based, analogue approach.
I have been working for over 30 years with Side-line as the main reviewer. My taste is eclectic, uncoventional and I prefer to look for the pearls, even if the bands are completely unknown, thus staying loyal to the Side-Line philosophy of nurturing new talents.
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