Bullets to Heaven plays like a collage in which movement, stillness, eeriness and melancholy are pieced together through different styles, and while it may come off like two different albums joined together, there's an underlying thematic thread.

Since early 2020 we had been teased with the idea of a full-scale release by Hidalgo-based producer Sunnesther, and after a year and a half we can finally hear the result of constant going back and forth between confidence and self-doubt. For the artist, the process to get here was tumultuous to say the least, trying to get the album to be released through a well-renowned label like Kranky, but ultimately being told that her work needed to be a little bit more polished. The original idea for the album was ambitious enough to span across two hours, but we ended up with something more concrete, yet pretty diverse. Sunnesther had been dabbling in other genres, honing her producing skills, and the results are outstanding and engaging.

Bullets to Heaven plays like a collage in which movement, stillness, eeriness and melancholy are pieced together through different styles, and every track is a little snippet of a scene we can't fully decipher. In the first half, we can hear a slight departure from the unnerving ambient and drone Sunnesther had us accustomed to. This part is not as dark as previous efforts, but this is not a tribute to happiness either. We can hear a lot of hip-hop inspired beats that, mixed with the grainy textures and samples, have an Earl Sweatshirt-Boards of Canada kind of vibe. It's still haunting, but in a different way, and it showcases the maturity Sunnesther has developed since The Hatred Tapes and Miata.

However, once "Stay Awake" and "2001" start, we're taken to the usual Sunnesther sound -a combination of Basinskiesque velvety textures and Hecker-inspired saturation- with the very idiosyncratic twist the artist puts to most of her creations: the juxtaposition of beauty, sadness and violence. The "DROP THE FUCKING KNIFE!" sample in “2001” hits like a Whitehouse or a Deathpile track in the midst of a peaceful -yet distorted- drone.

There's a thematic thread and purpose behind the second half's abrupt change in direction. It feels like having found peace in solitude (or maybe even death), as it is mostly devoid of beats and heavy dialogue. Right before "Stay Awake", we have elements of post-rock, drone, ambient, trip-hop, with livelier cuts, while this side fully immerses us in deep ambient meditations. The "Puno-Detepol-Kanye West" triad is a sublime aural sanctuary, sheltering us from the decadence that came before and giving us the strength to continue through the uneasiness that is about to come. Bullets to Heaven may come off like two different albums joined together, but it doesn't feel like two different artists forcing their presence in a tight space.

Clocking in at one hour and a few minutes, this is not a tiresome endeavor. This is because most of the songs are fairly short; in some cases, this actually gets in the way of their development, but no track feels incomplete, and the artist’s intentions do come through.

It wouldn't be a Sunnesther album without the emotional distress that has distinguished her work, and Bullets to Heaven is nuanced but cohesive in that sense. Both sides of the album are enthralling and intriguing, and the producer could pretty much go in any direction she chooses for future releases. Hopefully, the album can get the attention it deserves as it represents a new face of ambient and drone music made in Mexico, being brought to the front by a younger generation, and that is focused more on its underlying message and emotional power, rather on flashy equipment or techniques. With any additional luck, this can steal the spotlight from the boring, incestuous and redundant whitepassing mess the Mexican indie scene has become.