EASTGHOST’s stunning debut album Misery & Wounds has finally arrived, illustrating the experimental future producer’s vision across a dozen new original tracks.
Today EASTGHOST makes his full-length debut with Misery & Wonder, marking the culmination of a transformative and trying two years for the bitbird artist. Though EASTGHOST’s pensive bass-heavy style is unmistakable, the producer’s debut album perfectly illustrates the age-old adage that “change is the only constant.”
With twelve tracks running nearly an hour in length, Misery & Wonder articulately covers all dimensions of EASTGHOST’s sonic vision. The Portland-based producer delivers a wildly cinematic orchestral introduction entitled “Masque” to kick off the album.
“Terrified” follows, giving a taste of the densely packed soundscapes that fill the album, exploding at carefully chosen moments. Balancing a budding music career and changing personal relations while working full time and moving three times while writing the album, it’s no surprise that Misery & Wonder is both taxing and exultant.
EASTGHOST’s impressive command of echoey chants gives the tracks a cinematic quality. There’s a peculiar ambiguity about them that drives the listener to speculate each track’s mood. This quality is perfectly apparent on “Despair,” where the energy builds around the vocal phrasing for nearly two-and-a-half minutes before descending into an unquestionably chaotic drop.
On “Obscure Sorrows” and “Remove Viewing,” EASTGHOST reminds the listener across three distinct phases how quickly his sound can shift between beauty, frenzy, and danceability. Most memorable is the haunting reverberating depth of the instrumentation and vocal layers. This is evident on instrumentals like “Two Notes” and “Waking Up pt. 2″ and the nine-minute closer “Smiling.”
EASTGHOST recently wrapped up the final dates of San Holo’s Album1 tour. The artist links back up with San Holo for his Red Rocks debut this June 13th, where the live show and new music from Misery & Wonder will be in full-force. Tickets and additional information are available here.
Check out the new album from EASTGHOST below and let us know what you think!
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