Blogcritics The critical lens on today's culture & entertainment
Healing Spells recently dropped a new EP, entitled Past Lives. The musical project of a music producer from Tokyo, Japan, Healing Spells sound revolves around electronic music rife with imperfect harmonics and unexpected beats.
The EP comprises five tracks. “Levitate” opens with stuttering synths and shifting vocal effects flowing into an upbeat dance tune. Booping synths mirror each other, infusing burgeoning colors. Although the rhythm is danceable, there’s an underlying ambient element to the music. “Precious Love” combines oozing synth colors with a toppling beat, as well as repetitive filtered vocalizations – “precious love is beautiful.”
The title track features emerging synths, a crisp beat, and soft vocal effects. Shifting, blinking radiations of color from the synths inject the tune with an almost mechanical ambience. An exotic, mystical filament runs through the melody, giving it a quasi-spiritual flavor. “Sleep Paralysis” chuffs and puffs with a horizontal pulse. Vague vocals shimmer in the background, like ghost notes, as the throbbing bass adds a tentative rhythm that pauses sporadically, replaced by fluttering Tinker Bell sparkles. The mood of the tune is almost bubbly, but there’s an opaque nuance running through it.
“Sanskrit” pulses with layers of synths weaving myriad colors and blushes of optimistic emotions. The beat canters with an energy that’s suppressed, yet relentlessly present. As the shimmering harmonic layers coalesce with the vocals, the tune takes on an almost spectral quality.
On the whole, Past Lives is attractive and pleasant to listen to, although on a personal level I would find it hard to dance to. To me, the music is closer to energetic ambient than IDM. Nevertheless, the shifting tones and altering beats make it intriguing. So it’s worth checking out to see if it appeals to your inner tempo.
Follow Healing Spells on Facebook and SoundCloud.
