Captivating, profound and eerily beautiful
Daniel Avery, an English electronic music producer, started his career in London in 2009 and has been unstoppable ever since. Since the musician’s debut, he has released numerous successful albums as well as collaborations with producers Kelly Lee Owens and James Greenwood. For almost a decade and a half, Avery has used his music to aid in the escape and distraction of listeners when it comes to the world and its many issues. The musician has been pushing the boundaries of the music industry, while simultaneously gaining international recognition for his eclectic, electro-techno sound.
Avery’s use of house, shoegaze, IDM and abstract techno harmonies, accompanied by his application of drum machines, sequencers and synthesizers, has defined his signature electro-techno style. Many of the producer’s albums express universal concerns surrounding global issues, all while forging an obscure dimension where his audience can hide away and escape that reality. Avery’s philosophical and experimental approaches to his music create an unsurpassed experience for listeners.
On November 4, 2022, Avery released his latest studio album Ultra Truth to musical fanatics worldwide, dissimilar from any other album in his discography. The record consists of 15 songs that transfer listeners’ minds to a warped, distorted universe where there is no other option than experiencing and taking the world’s darkness head on. The album’s sound delivers a dark and eerie atmosphere in a soothing, yet upbeat manner, while the limited lyrics represent unwavering confrontations with life and society.
“New Faith” starts off the album with a calm, repetitive intro. The piano progression consists of three separate chords that reverb for a few seconds before it loops back. As the song proceeds, the distortion is elongated after the striking of the third chord and layered on top of the repeating harmony. Towards the end, wavering static and heavy warping are the only remaining sounds before a tranquil, harmonious voice says, “Beyond the sun and shadow / Under the weight of a collapsing sky / Close your eyes and look to the light.” It puts listeners in a calm state-of-mind prior to facing off the unraveling of the world’s gloom.
“Ultra Truth” follows up with five minutes of pure auditory bliss, and listeners can sense the rhythm inside them. The use of shoegaze and techno harmonies layered on top of one another, combined with a steady, low beat create a catchy melody that usurps listeners’ conscience. About halfway through the track, it switches up to a fairy-like melody meshed with the previous upbeat progression. The eerily beautiful sound later continues into an industrial-techno melody for a brief moment, then cycles back to its earlier harmony and breaks down each individual noise. The track insights feelings of the chaos surrounding reality at all times.
Few of the tracks follow a similar structure and sound; however, “Only” and “Chaos Energy” stood out in comparison to the remaining songs on the album.
“Only” begins with a captivating, siren-like set of female vocals from featured artist, Jonnine, harmonizing, “Do you see what I see / When they dance around me / Only the monsters love me.” After a brief pause, the listeners hear a slowed, muffled drum pattern as the song progresses into a distorted version of the female singer’s lyrics. With the elevated noise in the background, the sound induces feelings of yearning for hope in a world shrouded in blackness, which is perfectly exemplified by the closing lyrics, “We dance till we get hope / Oh, we’re so bad for it.”
The second to last song on the album, “Chaos Energy” opens with a static voice, featuring Kelly Lee Owens, impactfully stating, “The reprise of promise is here / Fresh with broken haze / Atop the shadow mountain / Burns the fire of better days.” The sound follows up with a shrill, chilling noise and a shift to a more upbeat, ethereal sound. Halfway through the track, there is another transition to an intense techno melody layered on top of celestial sounds and hums. HAAi closes the song with, “Look to the light.” The overwhelming sounds and angelic voices create the chaotic energy the artists aimed for.
All of the songs on this chaotic, profound album amplify the eccentric sound Avery has forged over the years, making his mark on the electronic music industry. Ultra Truth is one-of-a-kind and as the electronic producer said, “…a distorted fever dream of a record: riled, determined and alive.”
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