Converge by Ground Patrol

Ground Patrol is the Brooklyn/Sydney guitar-and-drums duo of Kyle Sanna and Alon Ilsar. Their music blends improvisation, evolving loops, and rhythmic interplay, creating trance-like structures that shift subtly over time. The duo have released four albums - Drift (2017), Search (2018), Geophone (2020), and Migrations (2021) - earning comparisons to The Necks, Battles, Oren Ambarchi, Tortoise, and Dawn of Midi.

Recorded in the rural outskirts of Poitiers, France, Converge marks a new creative era for guitarist/composer Kyle Sanna and drummer/instrument-designer Alon Ilsar. The album is the first instalment of a two-part project drawn from a week-long 2023 recording residency with producer Tony Paeleman, who also contributes Prophet synthesizer across several tracks.

“We wanted to return to the spontaneity of our early days but shape things more deliberately,” say Sanna and Ilsar. “These sessions gave us the chance to improvise for hours, revisit ideas, and invite other musicians into our world for the first time.”

Across the album, Ground Patrol interweaves live improvisation, minimalist rhythmic cells, and carefully sculpted overdubs. Pre-composed fragments - exchanged remotely before the session - form the basis for the tracks “Call,” “Rise,” and the newly released single “Fall.” Guest performances by Peter Apfelbaum (saxophone, flute) and Kinan Azmeh (clarinet) expand the duo’s sonic palette with lyrical, textural layers.

Thematically, Converge reflects a period of personal transition for both musicians: new parenthood, post-Covid reorientation, and parallel creative growth. As ever, the group skirt the boundaries of math rock, progressive and experimental forms to create hypnotic sonic landscapes.

The album’s title and visual language - led by a striking cover image from New York photographer David Reinfeld - evoke movement, transformation, and renewed collaboration across continents.

groundpatrol.net