Finding comfort in solitude

Aiming for Enrike is an electronic-based duo that has spent the better part of the 2010s releasing ambient-based albums that challenge the ambient genre with their upbeat and dance-heavy production. Their newest release, Empty Airports, takes a huge left turn from their 2020 release, Music for Working Out. The duo is quoted saying “Empty Airports is our most minimalistic and ambient record so far.” This album shows how even the most minimal sounds can create some of the most beautiful music you’ve ever heard.

The first track, “Empty Airports Pt. 1,” is self-explanatory. The field recording-esc sounds fill up your headphones with clattering objects and bellowing echoes which beautifully transition to the second track, “Empty Airports Pt. 2.” The sounds turn into mellow guitar riffs and synth cords. It’s reminiscent of Brian Eno’s Ambient series. The third track follows the pattern with it being the final part of the trilogy. It features much of the same aspects of the second track and finishes on a great note.

The fourth track takes a bit of a left turn as it is much more comparable to downtempo or chill wave music. The thumping bassline keeps your head bobbing through the track. The next song, “Feel No Threat/Absent Lovers,” has this earworm of a guitar riff that was particularly memorable. The second half breaks out into a drum and bass banger which ends the song off on an energetic note. The atmosphere immediately mellows out of the sixth track, “Slopes.” The ethereal, cyberpunk-like sounds fly by your ears to make you feel like you’re floating. The second half of the track adds some beautiful guitar riffs and drums that oddly work well with the first half. The seventh track, “the Castle,” continues the ambient bliss with scattered synths. The album finished off beautifully with the three-track run of “Square Machine,” “System 0,” and “Pulse Fragments.” They put a cap on an ethereal wonderland that anyone could get lost in.

Empty Airports is a beautiful album that sticks to the duo’s strength without getting too experimental. At times, the ambient music genre can be lacking in substance, making the listener feel lethargic and bored. This is where Empty Airports shines. The thumping bass, lush guitar riffs and bellowing ambiance transport you to a different world. It is a simple album that shows how you can do a little with a lot.