Across the expansive terrain of Heresy and Rite, produced by Jonas Munk (Manual), Salli Lunn are utterly bewitching, weaving dark magic in the bleak hinterland of guitar-driven atmospherics, stirring in equal parts pop melody and angular noise. From the tumbling drums and lurching coda of opener ‘The Frame of Reference’ to the stunning finale ‘The First Cause’, Salli Lunn walk a tightrope between bright-eyed songcraft and shadowy textures that threaten to overwhelm. Songs rise and fall in vertiginous shifts, carried by thunderous rhythms, skewed guitar patterns and the compelling vocal presence of Lasse Skjold Bertelsen, each a superb demonstration of Salli Lunn’s mastery of light and shade. Chiming guitar arpeggios highlight the hope and yearning woven throughout the album, while thick coils of bass, pounding drums and wrenching chord changes deepen the atmosphere of foreboding and menace.