“A Space Between” by The Numb Project: Embracing the Pulse of Stillness

A Space Between

In the ever-widening world of downtempo and lo-fi abstraction, few artists summon atmosphere with the finesse and emotional restraint of The Numb Project. The musical alias of Portland-based producer Chris Calarco, The Numb Project has steadily built a body of work defined by smoky textures, thoughtful rhythm, and evocative sonic spaces. With A Space Between, his third full-length release in just 11 months, Calarco transcends ambient chill and lo-fi tropes, offering instead a beautifully composed meditation on pause, breath, and the often-invisible threads connecting moments in time.

From the moment “A Monkst” opens the album, listeners are ushered into a landscape where details reign supreme. Textured layers hum beneath understated drums, while synths drift like morning fog above rooftops. There’s a quiet majesty here—a careful construction of space that doesn’t clamour for attention but invites stillness. The Numb Project is not in a hurry, neither should we be. This first track sets the tone for a journey that will feel more internal than external, more reflective than narrative.

“All Souls” and “Delia” expand the palette without sacrificing intimacy. “All Souls” rides a dusty breakbeat through melancholic chord progressions, while “Delia” introduces subtly warped melodies that teeter between nostalgic and futuristic. These are pieces that speak softly but powerfully. Calarco’s deft handling of tension and release becomes apparent—the way silence punctuates rhythm or how a delay-soaked guitar phrase gives way to a moment of near-stillness before returning with greater weight. It’s music that lives in the in-between spaces, as the album title suggests.

Mid-album standouts like “Silverado in Dub” and “Bloom” bring The Numb Project’s trip-hop leanings into clearer focus. The former wobbles with reverb-drenched basslines and dub-saturated textures, reminiscent of early Massive Attack or Thievery Corporation, but it’s filtered through Calarco’s unique sensibility—sparse, contemplative, emotionally resonant. “Bloom” is lighter, carried by glistening melodies and subtly shifting percussion, a brief moment of optimism in an otherwise overcast soundscape. There’s a tactile quality to these tracks, like music you can reach out and trace with your fingertips.

The back half of the album digs deeper into the philosophical marrow of the project. “Split Width” and “Bowling For Time” are rich with introspective weight. The former loops a chopped piano sample over a swaying rhythm that suggests movement and stillness—a paradox that defines much of this record. “Empty Impasse” might be the album’s emotional centre, its title alone evoking a certain spiritual standoff that the music mirrors with haunting, minimal tones and a beat that feels like a question waiting for its answer.

By the time we arrive at “Bail Me Out,” “Leaves,” and the beautifully titled “Still She Dreams,” the emotional scope of “A Space Between” becomes even more apparent. There is an intimacy in these tracks that doesn’t feel engineered—it’s simply present, arising from the spaces left unfilled. The album’s closer, “5 AM,” ends things on a note of hushed clarity. It’s not triumphant or tragic, just quietly accepting, like the moment before the sun rises when you realise you’ve survived the night and something new is about to begin.

Chris Calarco, through The Numb Project, has crafted something rare: an instrumental album that speaks volumes without uttering a word. Each of the 12 tracks is its own emotional vignette, yet together they form a cohesive arc that resonates on a deep, often subconscious level. It’s not background music—it’s between music. Music that exists not to demand your focus but to reward it richly when given. It’s the sound of watching dust move through sunlight, of memory reshaping itself with time.

“A Space Between” is a triumph of subtlety, a record that feels less like a statement and more like a series of questions asked quietly into the void. And yet, it never feels aimless. The beats still bump. The grooves still ride. But beneath it all, there’s a deeper intention—a reverence for quiet, for space, for the things left unsaid. In a musical world of excess and urgency, The Numb Project reminds us how potent it is to pause and listen.

For more information, follow The Numb Project on Spotify, SoundCloud, YouTube and Instagram.