NULL opens abruptly with a classic sounding techno bass line. Bleeps and pings gradually enter the picture swirling around me, and within moments I’m completely absorbed. The harmonic tension slowly builds each time the bass line ascends. The sound is spacious and captivating.
The opening track, Constant, left me stunned. After such a strong start, I was left worried that the rest of the album would fall short of the high expectations it set. Track two, Tranquil is more subdued as the title might suggest. The instrumentation is more percussive, and the pacing is more patient. There's a sense of ease replacing the tension from the first track. But this ease is deceptive. The sounds built around me, and before I knew it buzzing mechanical synths were pulsing around me.
In track three, Slow Release, we're met with dark shimmering bass frequencies, undulating and unstable. Echoing synths above pop before being swallowed into the void below. There's a feeling of dark uncertainty to the percussion, like dancing with a blindfold.
As if reading my mind, the final track, Pulse, opens with a shift in timbre like my blindfold has been removed and I can see the light once more. That is before being slowly dragged back into the darkness. The percussion grows distorted as it develops an abrasive edge that cuts through the murky bass like shots from a blowdart. A sharp pulsing creeps into the mix like a strobe-light.
The pacing and sound design hooked me from start to finish twice back to back. Each track brings a distinct character to the album while feeling cohesive.
I'll just come out and say it. This album is good. Really good. I haven't the slightest doubt that this album is going to enter my personal rotation. Art is subjective, but this album found its way into my subjective brain and pressed my subjective "this is good" button repeatedly.