Evoking a cinematic hero’s journey through ambient-infused electronic landscapes, Starstone Saga: The Eternal Lives of Keket is the captivating new EP from Denver’s mOXIE mOTIVE, the self-produced project of Matthew Nurse. Featuring violinist Stephanie Lee, mOXIE mOTIVE blends textural, atmospheric depth with ethereal strings, stunning piano, and serene vocals to create “sonic armor for the modern demon hunter.” The release also coincides with an engaging marketing campaign, featuring hundreds of QR code stickers placed throughout Chicago, Boulder and Denver. Each sticker acts as “little portals taking you on an instant journey to experience the saga.”
“Dulce Keket” opens the album with a tranquil yet powerful allure, stirring in its steady, understated piano progression, gentle percussion, and subdued vocals. String-like ambient textures enter with spine-tingling immersion around the one-minute mark, texturally bolstering the ethereal soundscape with a bit of delectably unsettling, climactic soaring. “Prana” arrives next, instantly exuding a more synth-ready character with its blaring, nocturnal intrigue and electro rhythmic sparseness. The opener’s elegance stands out, as does the spacey synth and spoken-word infusions within the gripping “Prana.”
Its aesthetic fondly reminiscent of the EP’s opener, “The Hit” struts an emotively compelling interplay of dreamy piano and heartfelt strings, ushering in a chamber-pop glow as the vocals maintain a distant tonal quality. An invigorating dose of guitar distortion propels alongside intensified strings, as this standout track comes to a satisfying close. The ensuing “Holding Hands” continues the piano-friendly lushness, with jazzy panting percussion furthering a contemplative, lounge-y vibe. EP finale “Patience” then dazzles with dynamic momentum, traversing from minimalist piano beginnings into expanses of starry-eyed synths and whirring ambience. ANIMOXIE – Starstone Saga: The Eternal Lives of Keket is a riveting, transportive atmospheric success of an EP from mOXIE mOTIVE.
