The world emamouse has crafted over dozens of releases becomes more inviting with each visit, like if Narnia was built from wonky synthesizer notes and echoes of denpa song. For me, a huge part of that is that nothing else sounds quite like what you’ll encounter on Black place on the edge, and at a point in time when everyone seems to want to be part of a something popular, I’ve realized I’m happy to vanish into corners featuring pitched-up vocal run-arounds (“a grassy guitar”) and stripped-down numbers made for lonely walks at night (the title track). Get it here, or listen below.
Even emamouse’s more fleshed-out concepts carry an escapist edge to them. Desolation finds them teaming up with Nicolò on a set that revolves around the idea of being left alone in a city that everyone else has abandoned. It’s far less whimsical than their usual solo creations, but even in these more spacious songs they sound like an escape from reality. See the zonked-out mood of “Empty Club” or “Air,” bringing to mind the warped world of Moonside from Earthbound (Tiny Mix Tapes get credit for that one). Even when exploring apocalypse, there’s few places musically I’d rather be. Get it here, or listen below.