Radiation City
Synesthetica
Reviewed by: Adelie Salagnac
The dream-pop band from Portland, Oregon, is coming back with their 3rd full-length, Synesthetica. It’s a nostalgic ode mixing elements of bossa nova, electronic, and retro-futuristic music.
Would ‘music’ even be the right word to describe Radiation City’s art? With Synesthetica, more than ever, the band is delivering a very unique art form. Listening to the album is truly an experience of its own, taking your senses somewhere very, very far away.
Crazy to think that this album shouldn’t have seen the light of the day. Going through quite a rough patch in life, Radiation City was on the verge of calling it quits. But you know what they say: the best art comes out of the toughest times – and we’re very thankful for that. Produced by John Vanderslice (Death Cab For Cutie) and mixed by Jeremy Sherrer (Gossip), Synesthetica still has the same complex instrumentation and dazzling vocals Radiation City was known for with their previous releases, while still bringing something new and more polished to the table, with even more synths and harmonies.
Synesthetica is probably the band’s strongest piece of work, with masterpieces like “Milky White” or “Futures”. One thing for sure is that it is the most upbeat and radio-friendly release, and I wouldn’t be surprised hearing Radiation City on the waves very soon. Each song off the record having its own different vibe, you listen to Radiation City’s 3rd LP as if you were taking a road trip to strange places, experiencing both melancholia and euphoria, nostalgia and modernity, reality and surreality.
Synesthetica‘s strength, unfortunately, also is its biggest weakness – being so experimental and quirky, sometimes leads to a disturbing lack of structure. At times it is indeed hard to discern and understand the direction in which some songs are going. While some of the tracks are brilliant, some others can seem a bit chaotic and repetitive – such a shame, because excellent ideas are hiding behind.
With Synesthetica, Radiation City is putting out their best release to date, confidently developing and affirming their sound. An overall very promising record that’ll take the band to the spotlight.
Rating: Listenable
