Neon Shudder - (viii) neuromantic: the communion of nature and technology

Neon Shudder is a solo project based in the east coast of the United in Philadelphia, PA. While not much of a biography is available about this producer online, his Bandcamp tells me that his first release was signal.run back in January of 2013. I have listened to Neon Shudder - my favorite album of his stands as 2015's hex phase - so it is about time I actually give him the time of day he deserves. So, here I present to you my thoughts on his most recent EP (viii) neuromantic: the communion of nature and technology. It is quite a title, but the music that follows is, for the most part, a delight. 

I will admit that it was a bit tough to get into the first track on the EP 'cargo occult'. The bass was a tad bit intense - and this is coming from someone who listens to music off of his headphones at a set volume of thirty out of one-hundred. The song did chill out after the first minute or so, but that introduction just did not sit well with my ears; I think the song needs to be re-balanced just for that segment. However, following after was a lovely blend of witch house influenced electro beats. 

'kill or be killed' came in next, which pretty much came off like a Castlevania's boss level theme song. Epic chants meet an 80s retro-inspired rhythm. All I can really say is that if this song were present in any side-scrolling beat'em up I would play, I would be pumped and ready to slam the shit out of whatever stepped in front of my fictional character. 

The next song 'not to be fucked with' featured fellow synthwave enthusiasts Reapers - who are Onslaught Six and Randi Hubler. While the beats remain similar to what we've seen thus far, the inclusion of Hubler's vocals with lyrics written by Six in the song was rather inspiring. The last song that appears on the album is 'the tragedy of being', which had lovely piano work attached alongside soothing rhythms and guitar work. I had no complaints about it. 

However, I do have to say that I think that Neon Shudder should get his music professionally mastered. This is not a stab at the way the songs are written or performed at all, but I think that with the right - or better - tools with a skilled producer at his side, Neon Shudder's songs could sound a whole lot better and have that much more of an impact on audiences. 

That being said, (viii) neuromantic: the communion of nature and technology is a rather impressive piece of music. With more practice and dedication, I could see Neon Shudder making his way to be a forerunner in 80s inspired electronic music. 
Feb 25 2016