For a few years it seemed Dominick Fernow had not known exactly where to go with his long-running PRURIENT moniker. He released a number of fantastic records under his various other aliases, such as VATICAN SHADOW, CHRISTIAN COSMOS and RAINFOREST SPIRITUAL ENSLAVEMENT as well as bringing a huge shot of energy to COLD CAVE’s touring show, but what few PRURIENT releases there were seemed scattershot, all trying out different moods and textures as though he had hit a bit of a dead end and was searching for a path forward.

In 2014 however, it seems he is revisiting the PRURIENT handle with a renewed sense of focus. So with news of a new full-length on Profound Lore in the works, let’s take some time to explore Washed Against the Rocks, the two-song 7″ he released a while back on Handmade Birds. This record largely eschews the more rhythmic, repetitive structures of Fernow’s recent output in favor of the sort of extended peals of harsh electronic noise that characterize his earlier work.

The A-side, “Doors Closed in Secrecy”, is the louder and more ear-shredding of these two compositions. It’s a cathartic and frustrated-sounding rager that eventually builds to include the sort of distorted techno beat that you hear in a lot of Fernow’s recent releases. The B-side, for which the 7″ is named, is a more subdued affair, with the aggressively noisy elements relegated largely to the background of an ominous synthesizer drone. As I stated before, elements of classic Prurient are here, but they are presented with a sense of restraint and production quality that only a seasoned veteran can pull off. If this is an indicator of what the next full-length will sound like, it’s a very exciting thing indeed.

Washed Against the Rocks is available for sale here. He is currently touring in Europe.