An atmospheric electro-pop pulse emanates on “Retail Therapy,” a melodic new single from James Atlas. The San Francisco-based artist admits to needing “some retail therapy,” with debonair tonal enthrallment. “How do I try to synthesize being happy?” Atlas asks amidst clap-forward percussion and an eventual re-emergence of whooshing rhythms, set within a steady arsenal of starry-eyed synth charms. The track’s production balances serene atmospheric introspection with an infectious driving beat, resulting in a replay-inducing stirrer from James Atlas.
“Retail Therapy” represents the first single from the artist’s new album. As James Atlas explains: “It is an observation about how we as humans, myself included, try to fill the void in ourselves in different ways – material possessions being one of them.” The aforementioned lyrical sentiments attempt to salvage happiness and authentic emotions within a fixation on superficial desires, and their tendency for short-lived satiation. Whether as an infectious shopping anthem or introspective musing on generational angst, “Retail Therapy” is a thorough success.
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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Electronic’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup, as part of the artist’s promotional campaign.
