Los Angeles–based artist Aatocaster immerses on the newly released superstition (studio works ‘23 – ‘25), a compelling collection of tracks where inventive electronics, textured synths, and layered vocals coalesce into melodic, hypnotic worlds of sound. Beyond the music, Aatocaster extends this immersive vision into striking visuals: distorted digital imagery, fragmented self-portraits, and lo-fi textures that echo the album’s emotional depth. Accompanying the release is a digital art gallery and zine showcasing B-sides, alternate artwork, and photographs from the California recording sessions, blending personal diary, experimental archive, and abstract storytelling.
“the mirror” opens the album with hazy entrancement, weaving a steady rhythmic pulse with glimmering keys and catchy vocal refrains. A balance of self-awareness and disorientation shines in the lyrics. “Don’t be alone with the mirror / (It’s the time it takes),” the murmured vocal feelings emanate, oscillating between a sense of warning, reflection, and surreal meditation. “kept me away” ensues with a more nocturnal intrigue, its spacey synth tones crafting an otherworldly eeriness that’s bolstered aptly by a detached lyrical engrossment: “It’s a lie to the world that kept me away.” While “the mirror” embraces playful punchiness and “kept me away” struts a darker spaciousness, both excel in their memorable atmospheric constructions and brisk rhythmic infectiousness.
Another standout track, “smirk” initially invokes the world of Burial in its ghostly effects and head-nodding percussive pulse. Late-night synth throbs and ethereal vocals follow, stylish in its straddling of haunting electronic elements and an infectious interplay between synth-bass and rhythms. Its lyrical expressions of a perceived villain, and immorality running amok, complement the darkly engaging soundscape. “Lie to my priest / In the night I see day,” the vocals unveil, pointing to a pervasiveness of deception and “I just give a smirk” response of confidence in return.
“pendant” also stuns with its atmospheric beauty, pairing dreamy synth tones with calming vocal introspections before a brighter electronic emergence. The understated vocal work and doses of synth-led effervescence make for a delectably chilling sound — also proving artful in its cyclical vocal repetitions, reflecting the enduring significance of a symbolic object tied to love and survival. Lines like “you are my luck / you are my north” establish the object, or the person it represents, as a guiding force and lifeline.
A strongly cinematic appeal, fit for futuristic settings with neon lights, shines on electronic instrumental “whisper” — furthering the album’s consistent knack for enveloping soundscapes. Shortly thereafter comes album finale “exp,” another instrumental delight. It pairs trickling tones, resembling a tropical rainfall in its click-clacking allure, with a vibrant backing ambient effect — then building into illuminated keys by mid-point, concluding the album with a blissfully magnetic gorgeousness. superstition (studio works ‘23 – ‘25) marks Aatocaster as a crafter of strongly memorable productions, offering electronic explorations that are both intimate and atmospherically vivid.
