Borealis

This is the debut album from Ontario-based musician Jesse Somfay under the new alias of Borealis. The 19-track project takes a significantly different stylistic approach to creation than Somfay's previous work, though he still manages to evoke an introspective depth of ethereal proportions. Recorded over a month-long stretch, each piece is a delicate balance of carefully selected samples teetering on beams of varying emotion, emotions whose chemistry cannot be explored through words or hedonistic exploits. The pulsating rhythms of "Crimson Purple" bleed through a variety of rough-yet-subtle vinyl textures and eerie, melodic atmospheres while retaining an extremely alluring quality of discovery, moving forward and exploring the unknown. Musically, it is clear that Somfay isn't motivated by anything, but the pursuit and exploration of human (and arguably non-human) consciousness. The sharp stabs of uncertainty in "Black Drop" pose an intermittent change of perspective from the dub-y, two-step fusion and motion of "Womb," as do a number of shorter works on the album that veer off onto a different path than the more rhythmically-driven tracks, though these smaller works serve as positive accents of fluidity for Voidness as a whole, never feeling out of place. Borealis is galaxies ahead, guiding listeners through a multiverse unattainable for so many.