5th PROJEKT blur the line between gig and ritual on their mesmerising new EP 'Live In London'

There is a constant feeling throughout 'Live In London' that you are stumbling into the middle of something ceremonial. Toronto quartet 5th PROJEKT have always operated in a space where atmosphere matters as much as structure, but this five-track release strips away studio layering and exposes the hypnotic force sitting underneath their music in its purest form.

Recorded live-off-the-floor at The Sugar Shack in London, the EP feels immediate, instinctive and deeply immersive. There is no sense of overcorrection or perfectionism here, as the band lean fully into the tension, looseness and chemistry that define genuinely compelling live music. The result is a release that breathes in real time, unfolding like a slowly escalating nocturnal invocation.

From the opening reimagining of 'Oblivion', 5th PROJEKT establish the mood with startling confidence. Tara Rice’s vocals drift through the darkness with an almost spectral presence, balancing fragility and command while waves of guitar ambience swell beneath her. The song moves with the slow gravitational pull of classic dream-pop and gothic psychedelia, recalling the immersive emotional haze of Cocteau Twins and the cinematic weight of PJ Harvey at her most atmospheric.

Elsewhere, 'Incantation' becomes one of the EP’s most transportive moments, built around Sködt McNalty’s shimmering fretboard textures that seem to suspend time completely. There is something beautifully disorientating about the track’s movement, as though post-rock, shoegaze and ritualistic drone music are slowly dissolving into one another.

Then comes 'The Labyrinth', which explodes outward with nervous energy and barely-contained chaos. David Pake’s drumming is extraordinary throughout the session, but here it becomes the pulse driving the entire performance forward. Yet the band somehow maintain total control of the atmosphere even at their most volatile.

Previously unreleased track 'Shapeshifter' may be the EP’s most striking centrepiece. Peter Broadley’s distorted basslines snarl beneath the arrangement while the song leans fully into the band’s darker instincts. It's the kind of track that completely justifies the group’s fascination with transformation, mythology and altered states.

While closing number 'The Pace' lifts the release into something more expansive and kinetic, ending the session with a strong momentum. Krautrock repetition, shoegaze textures and pulsing rhythm combine into a final ascent that feels genuinely transcendent.

But what makes 'Live In London' so compelling is how fearlessly committed it is to mood and immersion. In an age where live recordings are often polished into sterility, 5th PROJEKT embrace imperfection, spontaneity and emotional atmosphere instead. You can hear the room around the songs, and the musicians reacting to one another in real time.

With this new venture, 5th PROJEKT have captured something many psychedelic and art-rock bands spend entire careers chasing: a live document that genuinely feels alive.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iSIBN3zgqdI