The Reality Denier EP succeeds with a spacey, emotive pop engrossment, courtesy of Stars in Coma. The project of Swedish artist André Brorsson has impressed with an abundance of quality in the past, spanning from “Destroying the Love” to “Digital and Analog Gods,” and this EP succeeds in a swirling assortment of keys, synths, and vibrant hooks.
“The whole recording process was driven by a lot of angst of frustration as I was in a pretty bad place for much of 2020 and 2021,” Brorsson says. “That can obviously be a great creative force but it’s also the reason why it took some time to release these songs. I simply had to get to a better place mentally before I could release them and see them for what they are: some excellent songs describing a very specific time period in our lives.”
A playful bass bounce and lush vocal immersion takes hold on the opening “Atomize Us!” — building patiently into twinkling keys and a dazzling uptick in vocal vibrancy. The contrast between the thumping, understated beginnings and hooky vibrancy is quality indication of what to anticipate from Stars in Coma, primarily a contagious pop creativity with escalating structural satiation. The track is described as “s a song about human atomization but written from an ironic perspective, perhaps to justify the forced isolation we had to go through during Covid.”
“Reality Denier” follows with commiserations on an artificial-feeling world amidst spacey synth pulses. “Until you lose your voice, nothing matters,” the vocals let out, embracing a psych-touched synth-pop arsenal — with shades of The Beach Boys Love You. The EP itself is considered a pursuit in various styles, and “Reality Denier” certainly succeeds in its lush, otherworldly space-pop charm. The traversal from glistening keys into smooth dreaminess on “Doomscrollers Inc.” also compels alongside lyrics exploring digital attachments, while the finale “Departure” brings back the spacey synth-pop demeanor for a final atmospheric spellbinding.
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“Atomize Us!” and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Best of December 2023’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup, as part of the artist’s promotional campaign.
