Sydney-based duo Mass Experience show an intoxicating vein of electronic pop on the track “Rise Up,” from their new album Pleasure and Purge. Co-producers Timothy Poulton and Katie M. Little impress throughout their second full-length, following up Sitting with Demons.
The album’s first single, “Rise Up” is enjoyably indicative of the duo’s many strengths, particularly their ability to meld escalating instrumental and vocal layers with seamless precision. A bass-heavy introduction is gradually adorned by jangly guitars and pulsing synths, accommodating for Little’s hypnotic vocal emergence. “I can’t wait any longer,” she breaks through. “There’s something in the air tonight, rise up tonight,” she continues, the nocturnal synth movements and heady rhythms firmly resonating.
The second engages further with a series of twists, particularly in the stutter-y, robotic vocal effects leading back into Little’s spirited vocal lead. “Rise Up” encapsulates the duo’s grasp of rich synth-forward soundscapes and stirring songwriting.
Little elaborates more on the album’s journey and creative process:
“I basically had a nervous breakdown after both my parents died and had to figure out how to put the pieces of myself back together. I lost all my confidence, inspiration, and faith in my intuition which has always been my compass in life. ‘Pleasure And Purge’ is my journey through what I call the “awfulness”, rebelling against shame, rediscovering beauty and my playful nature.”
Stream Pleasure and Purge, below:
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This track and others featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Best of June 2022’ Spotify playlist.
