Echo Scale™: 4.1/5 ★★★★☆
Introduction: When Three Worlds Collide
It’s not every day you get a record built on the bones of an old parlour game, pulled together by musicians from Ireland, Australia, and the UK/USA, but Trust Devoured isn’t your typical post-punk release. pMad Paul Dillon’s gothic indie rock brainchild out of Portumna, Galway has always had a knack for atmosphere and weight. Here, joined by Killtoys and Lunar Paths, he throws the rulebook out the window and dives headfirst into collaborative chaos.
Inspired by the “Exquisite Corpse” game, where each person adds to a drawing without seeing what came before, these three artists have crafted something that feels like one part séance, one part science experiment, and all parts post-punk fever dream. If that sounds ambitious, it is but the results are way more cohesive than you’d think, tied together by shared instincts for darkness, space, and tension.
The Exquisite Corpses Project: Breaking Creative Boundaries
Let’s get straight to it collaborations can be awkward affairs, full of compromise and watered-down ideas. Not here. The Exquisite Corpses project is all about risk and trust: every artist contributes without full control, surrendering their vision to the unknown. That leap of faith pays off, because Trust Devoured doesn’t sound like three solo acts awkwardly stapled together it’s a unified work, moody and inventive from start to finish.
pMad’s usual palette is all over this thing: stormy basslines, thick layers of effects, vocals that walk the line between confessional and menacing. But it’s the new voices Lunar Paths and Killtoys that help spark the wildness and unpredictability. These aren’t just guest appearances; they feel like proper co-conspirators, each bringing their own palette of sounds and moods to the project.
Track-By-Track Breakdown
1. Celestial (feat. Lunar Paths)
The EP opens up with “Celestial,” and right from the start, it feels like stepping into an abandoned cathedral at midnight spacious, shadowy, and full of echoes. The toms work their magic, grounding the track with tribal energy while the bass locks in a sense of forward motion. Paul Dillon’s vocals are deep, worn, and weathered, stretching out across a sea of reverb and space. Around the one-minute mark, everything drops out for a moment, letting in a wave of effects and subtle sound design that adds a real sense of expanse and cosmic drift. It’s atmospheric in the truest sense halfway between a song and an experience, with enough room to get lost in.
2. Closer (feat. Killtoys)
“Closer” dials up the pressure. The bassline is the driving force here, rolling underneath a flurry of sixteenths on the hi-hat and guitars that flicker like city lights in a rainstorm. Vocally, it leans more on spoken word than melody, but don’t mistake that for monotone there’s a haunted quality to the delivery, enhanced by a swirl of effects that drape everything in a heavy fog. The melodic sense is there, but it’s buried under layers of doom and detachment, pulling you deeper into the project’s night-time world. This is a track that feels like it was built for headphones, rewarding every repeat listen with little touches in the mix you might not catch the first time around.
3. Feed
“Feed” closes things out with a minor-key sense of finality. The chord progression here is dark and resolute, and the lyrics don’t shy away from staring straight into the void. Vocal effects are cranked up, making the voice feel almost spectral, weaving in and out of the instrumental landscape. The rhythm section is tight and locked in drums and bass keep things moving forward with just the right amount of urgency. It’s intense but never heavy-handed; the song leaves its mark by mood and subtlety rather than brute force.
pMad’s Evolution: Still Fearless, Still Honest
One of the strengths of this project is how it builds on pMad’s evolution as an artist. Since 2021, Paul Dillon has pushed out of pandemic isolation to carve out a distinct spot in the gothic post-punk world. Albums like Who Why Where What and I in Power set the scene, but Trust Devoured shows he’s just as comfortable in the company of others maybe even more so. The cross-continental collaboration doesn’t dilute his sound; it sharpens it. There’s a sense that pMad thrives on risk, imperfection, and the weird energy that comes from stepping into the unknown.
Final Verdict: Collaboration at Its Best
What makes Trust Devoured work is that it feels like a true collaboration not just three tracks stitched together for convenience, but a genuine meeting of minds. It’s inventive, moody, and unafraid to leave questions hanging in the air. For anyone drawn to the likes of The Cure, Killing Joke, or Depeche Mode, but hungry for something stranger and more atmospheric, this is a must-listen.
It won’t be for everyone and that’s exactly the point. pMad, Lunar Paths, and Killtoys have made something brave, raw, and alive. In a world full of algorithm-friendly blandness, this EP is a reminder that the best music comes from taking chances and trusting the process.
Echo Scale™: 4.1/5 ★★★★☆
So delighted with the wonderful review of ‘Trust Devoured’, thank you so much Kenny and Echo Rebel for taking the time and for being so kind to pMad, Lunar Paths and Killtoys and what we are trying to achieve with Exquisite Corpses. As you say it is not for everyone but most things aren’t!!