Jefre Cantu-Ledesma's *In Summer*: A Sonic Photograph

Jefre Cantu-Ledesma's experimental ambient work, *In Summer*, is a striking collection of five tracks conceived as a "catalogue of photographs" from 2015. These wordless, often rhythmless compositions uniquely crystallize memories, presenting a pastoral and emotionally charged noise music experience.

The opening track, "Love's Refrain," immerses listeners in a colorful soundscape of warm noises, described as terrestrial and lush rather than atmospheric. It builds to a powerful wall of noise, echoing Susan Sontag's ideas on photography and mortality.

Throughout the album, Cantu-Ledesma masterfully combines found sounds with drones, as heard in "Little Dear Isle," which shifts from bucolic to sinister. While the title track offers a beautiful drone with a dissonant turn, "Blue Nudes (I-IV)" provides a more sculptural, solid block of sound, akin to Cantu-Ledesma's ceramic art.

*In Summer* concludes with "Prelude," a chaotic mix of guttural sounds and static that resolves into a haunting piano melody. This finale beautifully encapsulates the album's contemplation of decay and entropy, finding an optimistic perspective in the thoughtful rendering of chaos.