Capital Punishment: Never Forget

Throughout the course of Mas Ysa‰’s debut EP, Thomas Arsenault tries just about everything that could ever be considered under the broad moniker of “synth-pop‰Û. Despite Mas Ysa‰’s penchant for variation, he‰’s able to maintain a consistency of style that, despite its often heartbreaking lyricism, is defined by its bright, unabashedly synthesized instrumentation that shines and whirrs on the main tracks of the album and sulks during the ambient interludes. Arsenault himself yelps his way through the EP, using his never-quite-on-pitch and rough delivery in a way to compliment the clear technical limitations of the style and playing solely to his strengths. The tracks themselves, excluding the five interim pieces, are a mixed bag, with the first track “Why‰” displaying the traits of a dance floor anthem through its thumping synthesized bass sounds and skittery drum machine rhythms, a track that is heavily contrasted with the closer “Years‰Û, a soft ballad that could hardly be further tonally from the beginning of the record if it tried. Mas Ysa‰’s debut is an exciting release from the bedroom producer who has the possibility to breathe new life into the ever crowded genre‰’s he experiments within.

RIYL: M83, Animal Collective, The Cure, Kelela
Recommended Tracks: 2, 4, 6