September 16, 2022 - Faux Poly
Fun Label-Owner-Boss-Bros Kassian Duo Warren and Joe are here with their third release of 2022, Running in Your Area, solidifying their imprint Faux Poly as very real poly indeed. It’s been a busy year for the pair, who launched Faux Poly in April and have maintained a consistent release cycle ever since. This project continues the pair’s path toward a heavier soundscape rife with darker, more experimental tones and complex rhythms. Let’s follow along on their journey.
Tasteful interior field recording ambiance opens alongside thoughtful chords and mechanical blips in ‘The Machine.’ The monolithic, slightly distorted voice of the artist Theo Parrish rings out, “There’s an urgency,” standing in juxtaposition to the relative calm of the chords and pads and reverberation. The cymbal-heavy percussion drives the energy, but the combination of voice and musical elements works as a pressure chamber, bubbling and building pressure for a song-long buildup. A valve is released in the final moments of the track, relieving some of the tension without removing any of the power; the room is primed.
‘Off World Vehicles’ opens with a polite mix-friendly intro that again features Parrish, this time alerting listeners that the “music’s playing.” It’s a ruse though. Not that the music’s not playing, but what seemed like an intro was actually another buildup in disguise. At the same moment of this discovery, the track slides into full power—instead of a drop, a lifting of the floodgates. Bass pours into the room, an immense concrete hall, taking minds and bodies away in a turbulent stream of syncopation. An acid synth line drips and swirls around the flood of bass at its own pace. There’s a weighty presence here, the track takes its time and there’s nothing to be done but let it wash over and cleanse.
‘Actions’ picks up what’s left from the wonderful devastation of ‘Off World Vehicles.’ A bouncy bassline plays tag with plucky synths and lite percussion. Bits and pieces of structure pop in as they please, but the bassline remains consistent. The fleeting elements feel slightly magical, like fantasy shapes through augmented reality glasses. Parrish’s voice features here as well, this time used more as an instrument than a statement. It’s a tight tool that ties the project together nicely.
Running In Your Area marks both a sonic shift for Kassian as well as the seasonal shift for the world. The nights grow longer, colder, deeper, heavier, louder, and sweatier. We’re here for it.🍍