A collision leaves a mark. A planet's surface is broken; a body, a heart, or a mind is left rent and torn. But trauma is only the initiation of change. Broken earth can fill with water, become a lake, host new life. Battered hearts can mend, forgive, forget. Whether jagged hole or fractured soul, a crater is a process, not a state of being.

This is the purview of Crater Vol. 1, the fifth studio album from Android Lust. After the success of 2010's The Human Animal and the national tours that followed, singer/songwriter/producer Shikhee uprooted from her longtime home of New York City and settled on the opposite coast, in Los Angeles. The new surroundings were accompanied by a new method of songwriting. "I wanted to take a more linear approach to writing with a stronger emphasis on sound design, focus on mood pieces and let vocals take a backseat."

That sound design has always set Android Lust apart from the pack, and Crater Vol. 1 puts the intricate electronic and acoustic instrumentations front and center; only three songs feature Shikhee's memorable voice. Ambient soundscapes give shape to the void, while beds of processed field recordings provide grit and texture. Rhythmic melodies build like thunderheads but rarely break into outright storms, maintaining a pensive mood throughout. Crater Vol. 1 is an album for the aftermath of a traumatic impact, a soundtrack for the introspective journeys that bring new growth.

- By Brenton Ryan Nichol