by Put on your best suit ladies and gentlemen because today’s premiere is one for the books. Two heavyweights of the wave movement collide in a spectacular big bang. On one hand, we have the “same old” vibe.digital, tireless promoter of the wave verb, and on the other, we have who, at the moment, sits at the pinnacle of the scene: barnacle boi.
I don’t say this for dramatic effect, or with the purpose of instigating competition, but simply taking objective data into consideration. In the year that saw the highest number of wave events ever, the West Coast producer took his iconic blond hair and moustache literally everywhere, performing from Los Angeles to Ho Chi Minh City, touching down in Central and East Europe and touring the length and breadth of the States, playing DEF and Waakan among others. I have to say that, following his adventures tweet after tweet, filtered through his irreverent and relatable personality, has been one of my guilty pleasures (I’m convinced that a video vlog of the tour would’ve been a hit).
Now, to nitpick, one could say that barnacle boi lacked a blockbuster release to platinum this 2023 (pardon the gamer quote but I’ve been watching a lot of gameplay lately). But things change tomorrow. Or rather, starting from today thanks to this exclusive premiere. In fact, as his brand new EP, titled INTROSPECT, goes public in twenty-four hours, we give you the chance to get an early listen of the single ‘In The Dark’.
Despite the strong competition (both’ U Were Everything 2 Me’ and, especially, ‘Love Hotel‘ have the potential to become future classics), ‘In The Dark’ immediately became my favourite cut from INTROSPECT. The intro comes in the form of forty seconds of pale and spectral pads with vaporous vocals on top hauntingly chanting “You’ll find me, waiting in the dark.” A combo that effortlessly tickles the soft spots of waveheads like me and sets the perfect warm-up for the main event. Then, out of nowhere, here comes the star of the show. A cavernous synth arises from the darkness, ripping through the air and saturating our senses in a very Lovecraftian fashion. After these initial moments of apnea, during which we were swallowed up in this sonic black hole, ‘In The Dark’ quickly becomes airier again, absorbing the overflowing personality of the synth and integrating it with other elements. Once past this turning point, barnacle boi continues to stratify and evolve the composition during the breakdown and the second drop. The track we find in the second half, truly sounds like a chapter of a whole different story. Personally, I don’t have any doubts, ‘In The Dark’ should be listed in the manuals under the ‘perfect wave track.’
Listen to ‘In The Dark’ exclusively here on FUXWITHIT for the next hours, and be sure to dive into the INTROSPECT EP tomorrow.
