New York’s Mortal Prophets have never operated like a conventional band. The project is the work of songwriter and producer John Beckmann, who builds records the way certain filmmakers build atmosphere: layering analog synths, tremolo guitars, and spectral harmonies into something that feels less composed than uncovered. Not Here Not There, released April 3rd through Lux Astralis and mastered by Atomix LA, is a follow-up to Hide Inside the Moon and marks a notable shift in register. Where the previous record leaned into introspection and dreamlike isolation, this one introduces movement and brighter tonal shifts, trading darkness for what the press notes aptly call “radiant instability.” Beckmann steps away from the microphone entirely here, handing vocal duties to Tanner McGraw and Lawson Mars, whose combined performances carry an open, unhurried quality that suits the material well. Let’s take a look at some of the songs that really stood out to me.
“I Can Feel Your Heartbeat” starts out innocently enough with a spacey atmosphere and a steady beat, with dreamy vocals floating on top, but then they get washed out, and some kind of psychedelia-infused big band breaks in for a musical intermission that certainly grabbed my attention. Though the song is brief, I think the intent was to suddenly make you aware of your own heartbeat, and it certainly did that for me.
The title track doesn’t hold any punches and immediately engages in odd harmonic shenanigans for the Western ear. All the usual suspects are here: reversed sounds pull us towards the vocal lines while distorted, washed-out textures create an otherworldly feel, so in that sense it succeeds in being sonically evocative without the narrative being totally obscured by the vocals.
Musically, “Where Language Ends” is an interesting experiment because a rhythmic and melodic motif is held the entire time. The reason why it’s interesting, though, is that it’s fairly complex, unlike motifs that are typically used in this fashion, and despite that, your brain kind of filters it out and follows the main melody anyway. In a way, that is where language ends, because this particular arrangement communicates something unspoken purely because of that gap in focus it creates in your mind.
Not Here Not There is the kind of record that resists easy summarizing, which is clearly by design. Beckmann has spent years building a private mythology around Mortal Prophets, and this album continues that project with confidence. The decision to step back from vocal duties entirely is an interesting one, and it pays off; McGraw and Mars bring a detached vulnerability to the material that gives it room to breathe in a way that a more assertive vocal presence might not have allowed. The result is a collection that feels simultaneously intimate and remote, personal and cosmic. It won’t be for everyone, and it knows that, which is part of what makes it worth your time if you’re inclined toward music that operates at the edges of pop structure rather than its center. Beckmann is still chasing signals through fog here, and the chase remains compelling.
