Arriving upon its origin, Sungazer's brief debut plays like an assemble of short conceptual experiments. Brimming with a ditzy glitched electronic aesthetic, its two opening cuts conjures a Chiptune dial up modem mash up. Spritzed on by craftily spun rapid melodies, they toy with rhythmic shunts and subversive tunefullness in disorienting yet soothing ways. The tone turns gentle with more traditional instruments arriving on the mellow afternoon stroll of Ether. Level One feels like a bridge to bring back some of the original aesthetic, baking in its video game adjacent culture.
Featuring human singing, its final track mixes all elements with a bold Drumstep drum groove. Justina's voice as quite the hook but the songs vibrant chemistry is so brief, its as is if the song doesn't get a chance to evolve. Instead, its shut down in the mania of stunting synth sounds. Volume one is impressive as a conceptual debutant but in the shadow of greatness to come, it shows the duo's humble original have been carefully nurtured over the years, from experimental to fully realized ambition.
Rating: 4/10