Gnod and White Hills first crossed paths on 2008’s Aquarian Downer. Both bands share a love for psych rock, but this collaboration brought together Gnod’s dense, heavy sound with White Hills’ far-out spacey textures—creating something truly special. Clearly, they felt the same, as they continued to meet for further sessions.
From this, the Drop Out series was born—sonic explorations in a vacuum, with a humming fuzz guitar as the only tether keeping us from drifting away. Now, a third installment is set to release via Thrill Jockey. What can we expect?
First off, this isn’t a completely new session but rather a remaster and remix of known material. Through meticulous work, the original tracks have been deconstructed and reassembled with new elements. Plus, there’s previously unheard material. At two and a half hours, this is likely the definitive Drop Out experience.
The first record of the double album reimagines familiar compositions with fresh sonic textures, plus two unreleased tracks. Undressing Time is a drone study, while Unify leans into Gnod’s signature dense and loud sound—a bit more structured than the usual Drop Out sessions but still a solid addition.
Disc 2 features standalone tracks from both bands that were created around the original Drop Out sessions. Highlights include Gnod’s lo-fi krautrock jam Nothing Neu! Under The Sky and White Hills’ driving, shimmering Model Citizen.
Gnod & White Hills – Drop Out III: The definitive edition. – RIFL