“Late Bloomer” is High Places’ 12-minute contribution to a longtime-in-the-making split 12″ with Soft Circle out now on Dean Spunt’s PPM. The video for the song opens on a woodsy trail, Rob Barber and Mary Pearson wandering back and forth, forward and backward. When the song shifts from atmospheric 4AD drone to something more percussive, the duo start climbing trees: “When we grew by a riverbank / Our roots entangled cold and dank / They chopped us down and lit a fire / Our smoke encircled from the pyre.” Then the new newly relocated L.A. duo wander elsewhere, everywhere. The effect’s an understated but transfixing clip. It’s also great hearing them wander so easily into extended soundscape territory: Let’s hope for a homage to Dreamweapon one of these days.

The High Places/Soft Circle split 12″ is out now via PPM.