Tuesday , March 19 2024
A trippy rock-electronic trip into the mind of Brooklyn’s goste.

Music Review: goste – ‘Eugene’ EP

Goste-7Brooklyn-based experimental electronic artist goste released earlier this month his third EP titled Eugene. goste, whose real name is Owen Ross, is a producer, instrumentalist, and composer. While goste is a solo project, the EP also features Chris Holdridge on drums and Bryan Percivall on bass, with Megan Lui and Tamsin Wilsen providing background vocals.

The almost hypnotizing, slow beat of the melody in opening track “Volcanoes (Slow Fade)” draws the listener in and manages to grab his or her interest despite the monotonous and sometimes muddled vocals. “Loadedlikeapistol” features a mix of rock and electronics that take a listener on an emotional roller coaster of sorts, putting anger and hopelessness back to back with a mixture of fluctuating rhythms and vocals ranging from loud screams to soft whispers. The relentless background beat through most of the track drives it into listeners’ brains. “Hold On/Let Go”, which is a bit pop-sounding at times, is again quite repetitive in nature, this time mostly due to its chorus. The alternation between a mellow beat and a more uptempo one seem to reflect the different but related concepts of holding on and letting go that inspired this song in the first place.

“Omar’s Ghost” is even more pop-sounding than its immediate predecessor as well as being the most upbeat track of the EP. The lyrics are written from the perspective of Omar from the television show The Wire right after he finds out that his lover has been killed. The upbeat tempo and oral distortions are reminiscent of the offbeat and unusual ways people react to such shocking news. The penultimate “Won’t Be Long” and its guitar solos give the track a distinct rock and some country flavour to it. The EP closes off with “Single File”, filled with buzzing noises, mumbled lyrics, and various auditory textures courtesy of a well-used synthesizer that tells the story of a man that gives into a life of crime in order to survive. The track’s sharpness contrasts the rest of the dreamy, sometimes ethereal EP.

This six-track EP makes for an interesting listen which will challenge listeners to let go of auditory expectations. The lead single, “Loadedlikeapistol”, can be streamed on SoundCloud.

Pictures provided by Independent Music Promotions.

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