LateNightBeatFeast - Variance (Album Review)

English electronic musician LateNightBeatFeast may not boast the most urbane stagename, but his music is cleverly assembled and sophisticatedly produced. The elusive artist doesn't share biographical information like their real name, gender, age, or musical history online, so there's no way of knowing who is behind this energetic sonic spew, but such points seem irrelevant when the music speaks for itself. What the music is actually saying is open to interpretation, but one can draw a line to the unpredictability of the world, how moments in time can simultaneously be both comforting and terrifying.

The artist's recent collection, Variance, is a follow-up to the two-part album Intelligent Hallucinations/Hallucinate Intelligence, which was released earlier this year. The music here plays upon the dichotomy of soft and light, with downtempo experiments given enough juice to speed forward while maintaining measured control throughout. "Friday" was the first track to be released from the album, and is accompanied by a retinally pleasing video of playful borealis. Acoustic guitars and garish keys play in and around more textural elements with ease. There’s a lounge vibe to proceedings that places it on the innocuous end of the electronic music spectrum, but such is not the case for the entire album.

   

 The opening title-track has a fun bop to its more ruminative and ambient-leaning intentions, "2AM" continues with more acidic bass and synth strikes, and "Adapt" moves things down a gear with brooding and moody instrumentation that forgoes strong melody for more atmospheric realm-crafting.

Where LateNightBeatFeast excels is in the merging of sonic comfort-blankets with rhythmic coolness. Such is the case for "Hold", where pleasing tones surf by on a wave of percussive swagger, or "Moonshine", where the artist’s instruments are given a chance to play without the complication of drums for most of the song, before they are reintroduced with dynamic, shock-to-the-system panache. Elsewhere, "Crystal" is a speedy tune with a more exotic and worldly aesthetic, "Breathe" has one of the album's most memorable and accessible melodies, and "Whisper" brings an air of calm.

Variance by LateNightBeatFeast is a breezy and sonically smooth collection of instrumental downtempo music. While most tracks are harmless dabblings and not terrifically memorable, they create a cosy and warm atmosphere that also feels like it could break apart at any second—ultimately making for a thrilling journey.

★★★