A Series of Sonic Experiments

When listening to The Rocket Summer’s latest record SHADOWKASTERS, there are moments that feel so incredibly large and dense with instrumentation and energy, which shows that Bryce Avary knows exactly what he’s doing. Being the sole representative of The Rocket Summer, Avary is responsible for all of the writing, playing and producing of all of the tracks not only on this record, which released earlier this month, but all of the songs on every album put out under the moniker of The Rocket Summer.

Because Avary is responsible for all of the decisions made spanning the 11-track course of the album, the songs exude expression and experimentation in the likes of which you wouldn’t feel from an album that was hounded by throngs of music producers and executives. The freedom of creation is very apparent in many different facets, shining light on different decisions made musically that break the norm. From instance to instance of these bursts of creativity, some decisions work very well, and others not as much, but at least it lets you know that there is a living artist trying to stray from the path and making their art authentically in accordance with their own vision. Avary isn’t afraid to take musical risks, utilizing lesser-used instrumentation like a sitar in both “Eyes 2 Skies” as well as “Vanillanor Figby,” as well as sampling a chromatic violin line not too dissimilar from “The Flight of the Bumblebee” in the closing track, “I Say, I Say.”

While Avary doesn’t shy away from being unconventional and creating soundscapes that are new and exciting, it is very apparent that he is a veteran of the craft and has become very consistently good at what he does, both musically and production wise. The vocals that Avary lays down on the album are one of the strongest elements, showing off his vocal prowess by channeling his inner chameleon and creating so many different vocal profiles with just his voice alone. Many times, he changes the way the vocals sound, almost utilizing it instrumentally, like the octave doubled vocals heard in “Off the Hinge” or the incredible falsetto used in “Do You See Dreamscapes in Your Dreams Before the Dreams Escape When the Sun Beams” and “Disco in Circles.”

The way Avary is able to blend genres so effectively is a very sought-after trait in the music industry with tastes changing all the time and genres changing with the artists that forge them. This album has really well mixed elements of rock, indie, dance pop, synth, hip hop and many others, but none used so much that you can categorize the whole work. From the very first track, “M4U,” which was released as a single prior to the album’s release, the level of prowess that Avary wields when it comes to production is overly evident, and it very quickly becomes hard to believe that one person is able to conjure such a large sound with such forceful energy.