Old form, new parameters

Com Truise’s music is lush and crystalline with retro branded synth-wave as his flavor of choice. Although not as energetic or upbeat as 2017’s, Iteration, Truise’s newest project, Persuasion System, is cooler, more spacious and arguably the more emotional record. These bass-heavy, slow-moving tracks are brimming with atmosphere, beautifully mixed lumbering production and less linear, more abstract melodies and song structures.

The title track is a downtempo synth-wave cake, layers of bright ’80s synth sounds mesh with thick bass stabs. The track flows seamlessly into “Gaussian,” a beautiful and ethereal ambient piece. The song is thick with lush pads and a distant piano voice rings out into the synthetic clouds. Tracks “Ultrafinche of You” and “konex” are both futuristic and murky waves of bass and driving percussion to create a night owl vibe.

Truise’s song structure and production are straightforward and accessible yet there is a lot to unpack in each track; the cold futuristic aesthetic is oftentimes mysterious and dramatic. The twisting melodies and progressive bounding tracks keep Persuasion System from becoming stale. “Privilege Escalation” is catchy and more uplifting them the rest of the album. Beeping melodies synthesize emotions of freedom and discovery, like exploring an undiscovered, icy planet.

Com Truise continues to evolve his sound and style, the retro-futurism and immaculate production are here to stay, but he is building his emotional toolbox out. For an artist, changing your beats per minute or key can be an essential jumping-off point for evolving your sound. Persuasion System is a change in the parameters of how Truise makes music. While Com Truise continues to deliver great dance tracks and vibes more experimentation with new instruments or collaborators would be nice to hear moving forward.