Spanning from nocturnal soundscapes to glimmering string-laden elegance, Blank is a deeply personal album from Toronto-area artist Jack Maria, transforming two years of difficult emotions into a shadowy, genre-blurring electronic journey. Murky synths, abrasive textures, and striking melodic beauty create an atmosphere of enjoyable unease throughout, all while retaining a consistently melodic appeal.
“Tabula Rasa” opens the album with a calming, gradually unfolding lushness. Gentle synth pads and harmonious backing layers craft a dream-like state, followed by the more effervescent “Scream Of The Animal’s Reflection,” where twinkles of piano lend enjoyably to shimmering electronic atmospherics. “Deer To The Headlights… You Are The Light Of My Life” isolates that lovely piano quality, here flowing with elegantly romantic timelessness as dueling layers of piano intertwine gracefully. Then, “Let Me Be Your Failure” shifts into relatively darker territory, where a prancing piano’s initial frolicking drives into a delectably unsettling array of concluding synths.
A hyper-pop resemblant synth bouncing then takes hold on “Dear Sam, I’m Sorry You Wish You Were Dead,” presenting an absorbing blend of gyrating synths, starry-eyed pads, and subdued piano tones. The finale brings forth a buzzing electronic element, merging with string-laden beauty and vague melodic tones, for a sound fondly reminiscent of the more subdued moments from World’s End Girlfriend. The ensuing “Congratulations! You’re In Hell!” eases into the album’s second half with ghostly entrancement, where haunting choral textures linger with murmuring electronic swaying, for a hypnotic yet spine-tingling atmospheric result.
“Cannery” appears with gorgeous vibrancy following the hell-set darkness, emerging with a triumphant “floating and spinning / head in the sea” melodic blissfulness and glimmering synth-led art-pop sophistication. Pit-pattering rhythms and added synth tones pair wonderfully with the elongated phrasing around midpoint, fondly reminding of Panda Bear’s layered harmonies. An embrace of danceability stirs on the subsequent “No Thoughts Left In My Mind,” where clap-laden house rhythms combine with enveloping synth dynamics, spanning from bouncy playfulness to sporadically placed pads.
Blank excels in its shifts between subdued contemplation and infectious electronic drives, and that’s especially apparent in sequences like that from “No Thoughts Left In My Mind” to the next track “Details About The Loss Of Life.” Following that dance-inducing energizer, the latter dazzles in its serenely caressing, glistening captivation, crafting a soundscape comparable to Sigur Rós and Boards of Canada in its spacious absorption. The mix of whirring, stutter-y electronics and serene piano on “Bella” also compels, while the murky bass tones in “Today Is The Most Perfect Day” further the release’s eclectic soundscapes. Capped off by two triumphantly luminous highlights in “It All Looks Back At You, Wrecking” and the strings-adorned “The Maniac,” Blank is a standout showcase in atmospheric, melodic ingenuity from Jack Maria.
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