“Separation Team” by Siren Section: Getting Lost in the Noise on Purpose
Creating a single song takes a lot, but to be able to create 19 songs, that’s a massive dedication to your craft and listeners. Which goes in to separate you from the others. Well can’t stress it enough, but Siren Section is back with a massive new album called “Separation Team“, and it is a lot to take in. This Los Angeles duo, made up of James Cumberland and John Dowling, has been playing music together since they were in high school in the 90s. They finally dropped this full-length record on February 6, after working on it for four years. It is their first big release in over eight years, so they clearly didn’t rush anything.
They call their style “glitchgaze,” which is a pretty good way to describe it. It sounds like someone threw a shoegaze band and a broken computer into a blender. It is fuzzy, distorted, and a bit trippy, but it never loses the melody. It’s the kind of music that feels perfect for staring at the ceiling and wondering why everything is so weird. The album is a 19-track monster meant to be heard from start to finish and trust me, there ain’t no dull moment here. Each track has something for every listener. Well let’s dig in to see what this is about.
The record kicks off with the track “Construct” and “Bullet Train”, which pull you into their hazy world immediately. On “Construct” you feel this inviting weird atmosphere that seem like ‘what’s this’ kinda vibe, then as the song progresses those hazy beats and sounds begins to draw you in and pull you into that glitchy world where you feel like things are distorted and you wanna put them together. “Bullet Train” brings in some sort of upbeat, steals your attention with it, then as the song progresses, you’re met with this crazy screaming vocals that just consumes you totally. “Solidarity” and “Medicine” follow up with some of those catchy, psychedelic hooks they are known for. Medicine in particular was a single back in 2025, and it still holds up as a centerpiece of their sound.
As you move into the middle of the album, things get a bit more intense. “Flinch” and “They Will Never Find Us” feel a bit more paranoid and dark. Tracks like “Marker and “Dangerous to Know” lean into the heavy distortion, but they treat it like background noise rather than just loud screaming.
The duo splits the story with “Tritagonist 1” and “Tritagonist 2”, which act like a pivot point for the record. Then you hit “Minotaur” and “Deer Hunter”. On Minotaur, this track pulls us in on the sad moments and pretense a lot of us put on just to show a pretty face, when deep down there’s a lot we dealing with. Sometimes not that you wanna be distant from your partner or you don’t wanna open up, it’s just that sometimes you want your actions to let them know at least you still care even if something’s haunting you. You still wanna go to every height to make them see that you’re still here. One of my favorites is “Glass Cannon”, another single that shows off how they can make a song feel fragile and heavy at the same time. With Siren Section, you know you’re in for a treat and also a breakdown. I don’t know how they are able to make music feel very sad and still consumes you in a happy way. This song is very deep, sometimes you want people to feel very safe around you, but you know that particular person can also be your weakness. Yet you know you yourself ain’t up to it, you know you’re a mess, but you wanna put your problems aside and make the other feel better. The pain, the anguish and the anxiety crippled with deep emotions makes it a perfect track for everyone that’s been through it all.
By the time you get to “Timeghost” and “Equilibrium”, the mood shifts toward something a bit more calm. The final stretch—”Ritual”, “Some Of This Means Everything”, “Carry through”, and the closer “Five Fifty Five”, really nails the theme of repair and trying to fix things that have broken down.
James and John are great at writing “sad songs for oversharers.” They talk about vulnerability and existential dread, but they make it sound beautiful. It’s not just noise for the sake of noise; there is a lot of heart behind the glitchy beats. If you have an hour to kill and want to disappear into a cloud of guitars and synths, this album “Separation Team” is for you. It’s a long, strange trip, but it’s definitely worth the time.
Enjoy More From Siren Section here;
English