good grief

aldn

aldn is apparently a very busy man. It doesn't seem all that long ago that I checked out his last EP predictable, and I just now learned that this is his third EP within the span of a year. Quite impressive I must say. I somewhat enjoyed his woozy, drug-induced take on hyper synth-pop, and the project even spawned one of my favourite singles of 2021, n2o. Even though I wasn't expecting any new music from aldn, or really anticipating it all that much either, I saw this new EP pop up; seven tracks, nineteen minutes, I figured it was hardly a commitment to give this a shot too. To be honest, I'm pretty glad I did because I think aldn stumbled on a more cohesive and distinct sound. He has taken his hazy, synth-pop style and has merged it into a more forward, alternative rock direction that creates an interesting intersection of sounds that I haven't quite heard yet. Or at least done in this particular way.

This change is immediately apparent on the first track denial. We get some nice distorted guitars and aldn is pushing himself vocally to match that energy. However, with the tight, muted drums and the swirling synth arpeggio, aldn still has a foot firmly planted in that synth-pop world. swim also impressed me with it's watery intro that suddenly blossoms into a catchy passage that feels like a collision of the timid, synth driven power pop of The Rentals and crunchy, garage rock of The Strokes. I also really like the simplicity of its companion track, sink. It isn't the most upbeat or energetic track in the bunch, but I think it has a really great groove and I think it's interesting the way the rhythm sort of hangs at the end of each phrase. I like the timbre of the vocoder applied to aldn's vocals, as well as the squelching synth line that dances around these rather large intervals. The odd one out here stylistically is do or die, as it reverts back to that hazy dream aesthetic that I expected from him initially. Now that this sound is the exception rather than the rule, I find I'm a little more receptive to it. It has a nice twinkling synth part, and aldn's vocals are fittingly stiff and robotic. The guest vocals by carolesdaughter are more aggressively tuned providing a nice counter balance to aldn's parts. The whole track has this sweetly sedating feeling that I find myself vibing to.

I can't fairly compare this EP with his last because there does seem to be a significant stylistic shift between them. I can say without a doubt though that I got way more enjoyment from this batch of tunes. I don't think there was a moment as catchy as n2o, but I found the EP as a whole to be more consistently engaging. The elements of rock instrumentation helped drive these songs and make them feel more urgent, and the drum performances in particular I felt gave these tracks a little more rhythmic life. aldn still maintains his vocal persona, but I was able to pick out a little more variety in not only the delivery, but also in the way the vocoders and effects were dialled in on a track by track basis. It was another way for aldn to make each track standout or more accurately match the tone he was going for. aldn may be starting to really win me over with this new unexpected offering, to the point that I find myself quite invested in what he might do next. Will we get another EP before the year is over? Or will he focus on a project that is closer to full-length? I guess time will tell, but I think it is safe to say I will be looking out for it now.