Review Summary: Synthetic solace
I don't think it's dramatic to state that in an era of relative musical saturation, the pursuit of innovation and creativity has never been quite so dire, or so difficult to truly achieve. Fortunately, it's from this widespread crusade to eschew existing genre confines and innovate, that some truly exceptional artists have been born.
Cue SOPHIE; an artist who truly lives up to her claim as one of the most exciting and talented musicians in the modern electronic music landscape. Her output is as surreal as her image; simultaneously deconstructing and intensifying pop music until it's a deformed caricature of it's former self - and yet in doing so actually causes it to feel so much more alive and authentic. Disrupting the plastic production line with a passion that stems from her personal trials and tribulations.
Her early singles, characterized by erratic song structure and manic melodies, immediately established her as pioneer - whilst her 2018 debut LP "Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides" (a ***ing godawful title I must add) saw her expand her scope to incorporate ambient textures with her signature surreal flare. Then, roughly a year later, without warning, she drops one of the most monumental releases in the history of electronic music, as far as I'm concerned.
There are many albums that can be rightfully described as musical roller coasters, but perhaps none more so than this 95 minute maniacal monster; all of which flows together as to replicate her DJ sets. The remix tag is a little misleading however; besides the occasional vocal sample or melody, most of which she's performed plastic surgery on anyway, this is an entirely different beast to her debut.
Spanning tracks that are so warm and euphoric they could be prescribed as substitutes to Prozac if listened to regularly (particularly the second half of Side 1) to downright filthy techno bangers (first half of Side 2 you're up) to almost ineffable pieces that truly earn their deconstructed club tag (first half of Side 1 please step forward) to brooding dark ambient atmospheres (Second half of Side 2 I'm looking at you) in an almost schizophrenic yet subtly cohesive fashion, SOPHIE has not only eclipsed her past work with this release, or set the benchmark for PC Music, but has proven herself to be the indisputable queen of electronic music production in general. It's honestly that impressive.
Thematically, SOPHIE being a trans female, and this being a remix album, it continues to reflect the subsequent dysphoria she's experienced - both lyrically and musically. However, whilst her early works thinly veiled her discontent behind hyperactive melodies and pop vocals amplified to a sardonic degree, a plastic smile, her debut LP contained a few short-lived moments where the dizzying lights faded and underlying despair took over (the middle of Whole New World for instance). In stark contrast to the uplifting tracks, this release sees her embracing the darkness and despair head on, to create something far more cathartic than ever before. I'm not sure if this directly reflects her recent mental state or not, but it makes for a very effective dynamic.
I've seen some distinguished connoisseurs in the lofty halls of the YouTube comment section criticize the release for being overly experimental and lacking in bangers they were expecting - however as an ambient aficionado myself I couldn't be happier with the direction she's taken. Not to mention that the gay club dancefloor pleasers are still there in abundance, just interspersed throughout the madness. Admittedly, the release is marred by a handful of weaker tracks in which the experimentation undermines itself to produce something slightly irritating and forgettable - found around the middle of each Side - however they're still enthralling from a production standpoint, and I can easily spin the album in full without it feeling like a chore whatsoever.
Finally, after attempting to surf 30ft sound waves for well over an hour, SOPHIE unleashes onto the listener an emotional tidal wave in the form of a 17 minute long ambient suite. Broken into several tracks which correspond with oceanic light zones, it's a roller coaster in itself; filling the listener with infatuation (for lack of better words), before dragging them to the depth of despair, and eventually resuscitating them with a crescendo that's so cathartic it's making post metal jealous.
Overall, this release is an absolute electronic odyssey that solidifies SOPHIE as THE most exciting figure in her respective subgrenes, if not electronic music in general. Whether or not you're partial to this sort of music, you owe it to yourself to give it a go for the sheer spectacle.
