Cinematic exploration, heavy bass and intriguing, mysterious vocals – something like nostalgia from the days of Massive Attack – all introduces this creatively unique debut album from Chicago songwriter and artist Cosmos Ray.
The More We Live fires into gear with the darkness and charm of Recall – Being Human, before rolling into a unique fusion of retro late-night synths and soulful but mildly dissonant vocals. Paranoia takes things in a slightly new but still fitting direction, and the album proceeds to dig deeper into this concept of reminiscing and remembering – the distinct qualities that make us human, from grief to growth and healing.
Stylistically the music is free from the confines of a single genre. For the most part we get this kind of eighties-like electronic rock stomp and substance, vocals that are performative and unpredictable but still satisfying.
The Cosmos Ray voice is familiar but unmistakable across the extensive collection of 19 tracks that make up this album. Always the artist balances simple, agreeable melodies, with darker and more alternative threads of expression and shifting energy.
When You’re Gone is a fine example, an earworm of a song, with a strong bassline and beat fusion, compelling lyrics, and lashings of distorted guitar filling up the moments between vocals.
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