From the top of their 2020 self-titled debut, Immaterial Possession sound very much like their name — eerie, haunting, with something supernatural you can’t quite grasp. There’s an air of Joy Division post punk and a dash of proto-goth Siouxsie and the Banshees, but more laid back considering the lo-fi presentation and the playfulness with instruments and arranging.

Singer and guitarist Madeline Polites assures PureHoney that the Athens, Georgia group did not spring from a crossroads or a coven. “Cooper Holmes and I found we both were ripe in the desire to start something fresh and so we made a pinkie promise at an Atlanta dive bar that we’d start a band,” says Polites.

“We plucked John Spiegel from the top of the drummer tree of Athens and a few renditions of keyboardists later, we found Kiran Fernandes who made everything really gel, and brought with him clarinets, congas, saxophone, flutes, and other lively instruments.”

The four piece is currently recording a followup album and performing a few of their first out of Georgia dates since the pandemic. Asked how they generally prepare for shows such as their upcoming visit to Respectable Street in West Palm Beach.

“We usually sketch out a few improvisational elements to give the show a face with a theatrical balance. We surf that alien wave, slap each other in the face and threaten violence if we don’t obey the laws of the set which have yet to be written. Then I smile at the sound person.. all the while casting spells upon them to ensure the sparkliest sound. I rush again to the bathroom for the second time. I uncomfortably remove my casual attire in the darkest landscapes of piss room and replace my skin with black and white morphing faces.. fluff my hair and waltz out as if it never happened.”

And that is the recipe for an Immaterial Possession.

Immaterial Possession play Bumblefest Friday, Sept 2 at Respectable Street in West Palm Beach. immaterialpossession.bandcamp.com ~ David Rolland