Belgian artist Gert Stockmans confronts the emotions that resist silence on Gazing Back, the second glimpse into his shadowed project Mara. If his ambient work as Samatha searches for stillness and clarity, Mara turns in the opposite direction, descending into grief, pain and the inner unrest concealed beneath apparent calm.
Named after the figure in Buddhist tradition associated with illusion and temptation, the project does not offer darkness as something easily purged. Slow-burning textures, bleak atmospheres and gradual sonic decay allow discomfort to remain unresolved.
Gazing Back expands Mara's vision through the contributions of Harm Peters of Psychonaut on drums and Anthe Huybrechts on vocals. Peters gives the track a deeper physical presence, while Huybrechts brings another emotional dimension to Stockmans’ sound.
Following the November 2025 debut single Seeker of Shadows, Stockmans recorded a complete Mara album under the guidance of producer Chiaran Verheyden.
Gazing Back suggests a work less concerned with escaping turmoil than understanding the shape it assumes when finally allowed to surface.
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Mara
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