Full of reveries and hybrid explorations, Harold’s second full length ’She Thought She Would Last Forever’ evokes images of landscapes and forests. A stretching dark and dystopian atmosphere pervades the album, but he still manages to mesh the melancholy with an overarching and swelling euphoria.
Contrasting themes of melancholia and exploring the tensions between expectation and reality. “The explorative nature of the album is articulated clearly through Abstraxion’s use of minor chords and organic sounds. “She Thought She Would Last Forever begins with ‘An Error Occurred’, a convivial albeit mysterious and energetic primer that then dives into the tight percussion and pensive vocals of ‘Just What I’ve Always Wanted’. Title track ‘She Thought She Would Last Forever’ is a dramatic cut which transcends slickly into the rasping synth, and recoiling bass of ‘Needed You’ accompanied by the entrancing vocals of Loic Fleury from Isaac Delusion.
‘Spazieren’ is a 10-minute leisurely passage through dystopia that has been crafted with finesse. ‘Blackout’ is a minor key track whose lead synth is focused around an arpeggiator to create suspense. ‘Seascape’, a melancholic ambient track which shifts into the more energetic percussion of ‘Not Far Away From You’, picking up pace once again. ‘Rinjani’ is a melodic and menacing march with pulsing synth lines, leading expertly to the final track. ‘Dystopia’ blends otherworldly sounds from the distant future with percussion and reverb, creating space in the musical landscape and bringing Abstraxion’s second album to an expansive and poignant close.
Mixed by Francis Harris in his New York studio.
Supported by : Caribou, John Talabot, Roman Flügel…