Since 2010, Vancouver artist Christopher Smith had carved a notable space in his native Canada for his exquisitely rendered, emotionally bold music, over the course of two solo albums. In a great leap forward, he’s now fronting the five-piece Dralms, which is making inroads overseas with their first European shows and now a towering debut album.

Shook is defined by its hypnotic, rich and simmering heart of darkness, its contents are as provocatively elusive as the band’s name, yet there are lyrical clues to draw you in. Beneath the music’s deceptively unruffled and dreamy exterior are viscous eddies, which can turn into dangerous riptides when the tension is unleashed. This dichotomy is exemplary in Dralms’ recent 12" single ‘Pillars And Pyre,’ which Clash described as “a contagious, thrilling fare with a unique melodic sense.” Debut single 'Crushed Pleats' is another case of gorgeous rippling lows escalating into a stormy coda.

“The process has been a natural transition,” Smith ventures. Personnel-wise, Dralms wasn’t a big leap, as Smith was already working with drummer Shaunn Thomas Watt and bassist Peter Carruthers (of Siskiyou), and keyboardist William Kendrick (of Failing) in a live capacity. But as the quartet honed Smith’s solo songs (drawn from 2012’s Earning Keep) on stage, they transported them to a different place, playing with greater clout, complexity and shades of darkness. Shook’s sound has been further enhanced with electronic beats and programming from Andy Dixon (of Secret Mommy), and engineering and co-production by John Raham.