Release Date: June 28, 2011
First things first: Com Truise might be the most annoying name for anything, ever. It’s not funny. It’s not clever. It’s not even a play on words. So from the gate, New York synth-meister Seth Haley (who uses the pseudonym Com Truise among many other aliases) purports a coy a sensibility—one he might find cheeky but others might find maddening.
He set the Internet ablaze last year with his admittedly intriguing EP Cyanide Sisters, a collection of bass-heavy dance tunes that were strikingly mature in nature. The sound was diverse, ranging from danceable to outright intimidating.
So to little surprise—and in spite of his moniker—Haley has created something pretty spectacular in his newest effort, Galactic Melt. It’s an album full of rich and deep textures, with synth sounds so brooding yet so fetching you’ll almost feel guilty for bobbing along—as if the music is verboten.
Haley’s eclectic taste isn’t hurting matters, either. The album works best when all the pieces work together. New wave-inspired keys and funk’d out bass lines are his bread and butter, and to be fair, much of the album’s tracks are assorted variations on that theme. However Galactic Mess is anything but complacent. The album possesses a sleek, ultramodern feel that sounds great in a pair of headphones.
Perhaps Haley’s greatest gift is his ear for melody—something sorely lacking in the synth genre. He isn’t afraid to be catchy. Songs like “Cathode Girls” and “Hyperlips” sound like spaced out Ratatat songs, fitted with their penchant for pop structuring—except Haley’s rouse is to make it all sound as organic as possible.
And he succeeds. The album is effortlessly listenable in addition to being something that breeds introspection. Despite its pithiness (the album clocks in at meager 10 tracks) there’s enough material for multiple listens.
His ’80s influence is obvious, but Haley is clearly drawing from other realms of inspiration.
“Brokendate” begins with the distorted voice of somebody giving dating advice (something about not taking a girl to a beach) before drifting into what sounds like an intro to a cable access television show. “Ether Drift,” meanwhile, sounds like just that—a meandrous yet well-crafted foray into a forest of fuzzy keyboards and erratic drum loops.
Really, the aural qualities of the album cannot be understated. Seeing as Galactic Melt has been gestating for more than three years, it’s no surprise Haley was able to insert so many different tones into the album. That nothing on the album ever feels chaotic or out of place is also something of a minor miracle. Even the best work from similar act Flying Lotus tends to drag when given critical listen.
Galactic Melt, however, is seamless. The tracks ebb and flow in a harmonious fashion, speaking to Haley’s ability to sustain a mood perfectly. He never stays on a single idea or theme for too long.
Similar albums quickly become indulgent gimmicks. Haley, however, stays grounded in his aesthetic, aiming to create an experience rather than to perpetuate a style. So much of the synth trend is merely fashionable—this album sounds like a piece of art.
Com Truise – Galactic Melt Tracklist:
- “Terminal”
- “VHS Love”
- “Cathode Girls”
- “Air Cal”
- “Flightwave”
- “Hyperlips”
- “Brokendate”
- “Glawio”
- “Ether Drift”
- “Futureworld”
