Hinterlands is an intermission between the past and future of technology; yet, we are unable to be present, too spent on excavating the lingering effects of industrial modernity. David Bird’s thrilling compositions are performed here by premiere contemporary ensembles lovemusic, Ben Roidl-Ward and Isidora Nojkovic, Grossman Ensemble and Mivos Quartet. Shifting between microtonal shimmer, dense counterpoint, and immersive electronic textures, the album treats sound like a form of “sonic metallurgy”: metallic resonances, harmonic artifacts, and layered noise evoke processes of extraction, production, and decay. The album unearths geographic, psychological, and technological disruption, the sounds of machines working with and against each other in entropy. Like the emerging co-existences between humans and artificial intelligence, David Bird and collaborators articulate the subtle yet severe realities of technological change. Inspired by sources ranging from William Gibson’s speculative fiction to the industrial histories of American and Soviet cities and the rise of white-noise machines, the album reflects on systems of control and alienation through immersive listening. Each work on the album approaches these tensions from a distinct vantage point. The opening track, Hinterlands, performed by lovemusic, explores a space that is both geographic and psychological, drawing on William Gibson’s story of travelers returning from deep space to shape its speculative sonic terrain. Ambient Machine, performed by Ben Roidl-Ward and Isidora Nojkovic, turns to the present, juxtaposing dense multiphonic and overpressure textures with resonant harmonic tones to reflect the hum of technology and the paradox of noise as comfort. Chroma, performed by the Grossman Ensemble, treats timbre as material, unfolding from unisons into increasingly rich, overtone-based sonorities. American City, performed by Mivos Quartet, translates the history of industrial labor into mechanized textures, inspired by the Soviet–American collaboration behind Magnitogorsk. Together, these works form a collection that reflects on the sonic and psychological consequences of the technological age. – Alexi Orchards