Love & Evol (stylized as LφVE & EVφL) is the twenty-fifth studio album by Japanese experimental band Boris, released 4 October 2019 on Third Man Records.[1] The band describes the release as two distinct but interconnected works, bearing the titles LφVE and EVφL respectively, "encapsulating conflicting connotations that interweave and become intricately entangled with one another, gradually eroding before becoming utterly singular."[1] The release was intended to illustrate the different extremes of the sounds Boris has explored previously in their discography,[2] and as a counterpoint to their darker and more aggressive previous album Dear.[3]
Upon its release, the album received mixed to positive reviews. Thom Jurek of AllMusic called the album "an uneven whole" while "one wishes for more organic cohesion between the set's independent halves;" but concluded that "most longtime Boris fans will go for this since they're used to the band's bouncing between sonic poles."[2] Grayson Haver Currin of Pitchfork issued a largely negative review, calling the band "self-satisfied" and offering songs "that, by and large, feel like adult-coloring-book versions of Boris triumphs past."[3] Spencer Nafekh-Blanchette of Exclaim! was more positive, describing the album as "mixing dissonant ambience with unrelenting distortion to create soundscapes that can be felt with every fibre of your being," and concluding that "Boris create layered atmospheres that are equal parts beautiful and menacing."[4]
