Celestial City is the debut album from Los Angeles-based electronic duo Dark Blue Heaven, blending ethereal vocals, glitchy breakbeats, and atmospheric production. Comprised of producer Cam Outlaw and vocalist-lyricist Lydz, the duo draws on ’90s analog sounds, 2010s indie dream-pop, and contemporary breakcore while exploring themes of memory, time, and technology.
“Lazy” captivates in opening the album, delightful in its contrast of stutter-y percussion momentum and spacey synth caressing. Dreamy vocal entrancement follows, while a series of added synth-laden prancing compels thereafter. The track’s shifts between spacious ghostliness, like at the one-minute mark, and brisker rhythmic sequences make for an enveloping listening experience. Ensuing track “Flustered” asks “am I terrified, that we made it here?” via nonchalant vocal delivery, moving into an intriguing refrain as rapid, trip-hop rhythmic feelings flow alongside. The album’s first two tracks enthrall in their balance of dreamy immersion and hectic rhythmic infectiousness.
Another standout track, “Daisies” consumes in its hyper-pop synth resemblances and lyrical laments of being unable to “wake myself up from this nightmare dream.” The project’s knack for dynamic tonal maneuvers shows here as well, with the approach to its two-minute mark stirring in its spacious rhythmic absence, buzzy synth momentum, and culmination into a return of the memorably serene vocals and vigorous percussion. “Leave Me Alone” delights as well, with its shoegaze-y haziness. Lazy-Celestial City is an absorbing, artfully textured success of an album from Dark Blue Heaven.
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This and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup.
