Wow did this release come out of no where. One minute there was no such thing as Carpenter Brut and the next moment... BAM! One of the best synth wave debut's ever created is unleashed upon the earth.
EP 1 is a tour de force of what good synthwave is all about. It's dynamic, it's got interesting synths, it's got a crazy cool song structures, and it just plain kicks ass.
Let's break down the first song Escape from Midwich Valley. This song encompasses everything that I love about Carpenter Brut. Starting off with a few solitary over-saturated notes that gives way to a low pulse that will become a backbone for the slow build that occurs over the next few minutes. As the song progresses more and more elements are added in: a guitar fading in and out, an old ham radio signal, and finally we get to the bass heavy synths. These are beefy boys.
It's the beefy synths that act as the main driver for the song. They give the song a depth that few other synthwave artists are capable of, and have become synonymous with the Carpenter Brut sound. As the song builds over its first four minutes we are treated to a sudden pause and near ambient section... and it's here where Carpenter Brut shows his true colors.
The explosion that occurs is like nothing else I've ever heard in synthwave and is so iconic to Carpenter Brut that it becomes a reference point for other artists and songs. Those same beefy synths form earlier? Yeah they come back but on steroids. They drive the song forward with a force and passion that most other artists can only catch a glimpse of.... it's nothing short of genius.
The rest of the EP continues to mess around with variations of synthwave styling. Some sound like Night Rider is coming in to save the day. Others still remind me of a noir film from the 80's. Whatever he does he does it well. This is nearly the perfect synthwave album and would be an excellent reference point for anyone looking to get into the genre.
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