Cocainejesus just released the best new album on Dream Catalogue since 2814’s epoch-defining 新しい日の誕生 (Birth of a New Day) and I cannot get enough of it. We’re Worried About You introduces a new chapter for the prolific label.

I’ve written about Dream Catalogue quite a bit over the past several months, observing the label as it grows and expands, its signature aesthetic evolving while retaining its core identity.  I’ve immersed myself in the incredible mind-bending works from HKE, Nmesh, R32X, t e l e p a t h テレパシー能力者 – 柔らかい唇, and so many more. I slowly formed a basically concrete picture of what the label meant to me.

Cocainejesus just smeared that picture beyond recognition. We’re Worried About You takes off and leaves vaporwave behind. The album is loaded with syrup-slow synths, hip-hop drum programming, backmasked female vocals, and a tender but heavy atmosphere; I can’t help but remember the pinnacle of trip-hop, the sound of acts like Massive Attack and Portishead at the peak of their powers. At the same time, there’s a moody sense of exploration, of extraterrestrial broadcasts, of a history that never was, being unearthed. It’s the uncanny valley of my own memory.

As a friend pointed out today, the opening notes recall Björk’s All Neon Like, a touchstone of late 90s electronic pop production. I can’t think of a better jumping off point than mentioning this connection. You can listen to the whole album right here.

You can buy the album on cassette or CD (2016 is really starting to feel like my childhood) on the Bandcamp page.