One release. Three songs. Fifteen minutes. And I can't stop grinning. This is good; this is real good. The synthwave scene NEEDS this release.
There is a hunger heard in Lyde’s expertly organized arpeggiations; a fierceness of raw power that stealthily decimates all would-be contenders. Not that there isn’t more room in the synthwave scene; that’s not what I am suggesting. What I hear in each of these three tracks is a purposeful contribution to a howling good time. This is electronic poetry; vivid in nature as it leads listeners on a journey through a synthesized journey of fear and discovery.
The point is that, with the release of Wolf, Lyde's debut EP, the retro-revival has a brand new voice to hear howling through the devilish night of full moon tricks and treats. This is damn good music and I can’t stop, won't stop it from repeating each and every one of its massively entertaining buildups and musical depth.
Holy. Shit. Hats off to Sweden, man. There’s something in the water there and I LOVE IT. Lyde's release leaves me speechless. And I have Serbia’s Isidor (whose own 3218 release is pretty damn good, too) to thank for the recommendation. Absolutely. I bow to you, brother.
It should be noted, that I wasn’t planning to write this review next but inspiration is in the driver’s seat of this fast-moving Ferrari 166 MM Barchetta thanks to this engaging collection of refined and immersive songs. And so I slip the cassette in, plug in, and “see” the epic story unfold that Lyde has created for his listeners.
The release begins with the driving thrust of “Spirit Animal” as it builds and builds into a glistening electronic blanket of duty. This listen is not unlike a wild ride through a dense forest at night. Full of breakneck speeds, mad twists and turns as the prey is targeted, and one larger-than-life hunt through the woods, Lyde’s Wolf EP – with only three songs lighting your path through the darkest hour of midnight – will leave you breathless as the moon glows above your head; a pale acetylene globe of radiant beauty.
I’m not sure I have ever been so damn impressed by three songs on one single EP in my life. But Lyde nails it with his ode to one hair-raising night of gnashing teeth and three solid bites. The second track, “The Outsider” kicks major ass as it begins its radio daze of beats and beauty chugging in the pitch black of night before absolutely exploding into a track of keyed-in expressions. And then, just when it couldn’t get any more euphoric, the third and final song – “The Hunt” – aims for the stars. There’s nothing quite like this 15-minute release out in the electronic ether and that’s why I’m writing about it right now.
Wolf is a three song cycle of mood and majesty as this synthwave artist from Sweden lets it all hang loose and growls a toothy grin from behind “the box” as it were. That’s not to suggest that there isn’t an organization to the passion behind this project. There definitely is. The three songs included here wouldn’t work as well as they do as a cohesive whole if Lyde had just slapped something together.
Wolf has a fierce intelligence that drives it forward, pummeling our ears with engaging sounds that build and build into a euphoric high that reads – as one might expect – like a frenzied movie about one man’s night as a wolf.
Lyde’s debut is available at lyde.bandcamp.com/releases through Bandcamp;
and at soundcloud.com/lydeofficial/sets/wolf-ep through SoundCloud.
Fork over some money, Lyde deserves it.
Lyde’s Wolf EP is delicious way to kick off 2018 and, personally, I can’t wait to hear more.
Indeed, I AM hungry.
