There’s a certain rhythm we all have to our day-to-day lives, and it’s a routine that’s usually helped by music as an arbiter of tone and melody. Music should support and bolster our routine, and this is exactly what I found with ATTLAS’ debut album Lavender God. The 10-track album is almost entirely instrumental, but easily captures the mind and spirit.
“Shatter”, the opening number, comes in with melodic synths and electric beats within the first thirty seconds, catapulting the listener into an ethereal space that is simultaneously energizing and peaceful. In short, it does seem to shatter whatever mood preceded it, forcing the listener to pay attention. Next up, “A Winding Path” creates melodic twists and turns that anyone can recognize as the choices we make. “Half Light” is the first track to have accompanying vocals. Alisa Xayalith’s voice and the lyrics she sings—”feeling better in the half light, feeling human“—shed light on the emotional nuances that the album explores. The titular “Lavender God” has an almost cardiac-like beat to it, suggesting both a humanity as well as its central place in the album. “Sinner Complicated” may be the lead the single with its house beats, but I prefer the powerful all-encompassing cords of “A Ray of Light” and “Home”, which truly transport the listener elsewhere. “More Than That” closes out the album with an elusive patterning of percussion and synth. Lavender God is a solid album where each track is distinct, but it is the fugue elements that really make it stand out, creating a kind of synthetic classical effect that is both seamless and mesmerizing.
ATTLAS has described the album as an opportunity to “tell [his] story through music” and how music became “a home” for him after learning guitar, trumpet and piano as a child. While it may be his story, Lavender God taps into universal modes of expression while successfully maintaining a homey quality. Recently voted the Breakthrough DJ of 2019 by DJ Mag, this Canadian artist is certainly one to watch. The emotion and auditory storytelling present throughout Lavender God makes it clear that ATTLAS isn’t just a DJ; he is an artist.
Follow ATTLAS on Spotify.
Saint Audio 