running empty, the ambient/slowcore project from Matthew Messore (Cathedral Bells, Midi Memory), unfolds with a discreet sense of presence on what it means to be. Built from cassette-recorded sketches and shaped by analog textures, the project carries a kind of warmth that feels organic.
There's a sense of melodicism that often comes across more like impressions than fully defined statements. It mirrors a transitional state, emerging as Messore settles into a new life in Los Angeles, where motion and stillness seem to coexist.
The song feels like recognizable fragments that cannot be entirely placed, and there is confidence in that approach. what it means to be does not attempt to resolve itself or expand beyond what it currently is. It simply exists in its own place, understanding that what is present is sufficient.
ZR