Last week, idiosyncratic Chicago synth pop artist Reaches unleashed his debut record, I Am Alive And Well. Reaches is latest moniker belonging to Justin Randel, an artist who has been plying his trade in different guises for a decade or so. Just from the cryptic and elongated song titles its easy to tell a strange ride is coming. However, that would be misleading given the cohesiveness that abounds across the record’s seven offbeat party inspired tracks. Hypnotic synth bass lines squelch and noodle in alongside melodies that range from the linear to the circular, swirling around a variety of incessant pulsating beats and Randel’s quixotic croon. As an example, look no further than opening track, ‘White Birch Of The Baltic’ streaming below complete with an Abbe Findley video that sees Randel and co. do some strange dancing in the streets. Get hold of I Am Alive And Well here.
Tracklist
1. White Birch Of The Baltic
2. Six Tips To Survive An Excessively Hard Winter
3. A Regular America At The Love Battelfield
4. Hear One Successful Chicagoans Thoughts on What You Should Do With Your Soul Sucking Job
5. The Cause of Depression Has Been Discovered and It’s Not What You Think
6. The Problem With Freedom No One is Talking About
7. On a fast train from Xi’an
White Birch Of The Baltic
Reaches (USA)
From the album, ‘I Am Alive And Well’, We Be Friends Records.
Reaches Facebook
Audio Stream
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Official Video
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