When you heard the distinct eeriness of a Public Memory song for the first time, what did you think of?
For me, it was the surreal calm of a sensory deprivation tank. Something dark and comforting; viscerally womb-like.
Robert Toher, the musician behind Public Memory, uses his history in post-punk to spiral outward and create the thick cohesion of instrumentals that has become the signature of this project. His latest single, "Shivering Masterpiece," takes us to a world somewhere between darkwave, trip-hop, and ambient electronica. As the name of both the song and project implies, it evokes feelings of nostalgia, the unknown, and that intangible sense of déjà vu that is equally difficult to create and escape.
Gritty and dark, full of synths and chimes that echo into an abyss, curated in such a precise manner that it can almost be visualized. The song is complete with a signature voice, soaked in reverberation and distortion. Together, the arrangement feels like it’s rising up from somewhere deep underground.
This marks the second single released in anticipation of his fifth full-length album, Public Sword, set for release on October 17th, 2025
