Album Review: Atmosphere – So Many Other Realities Exist Simultaneously

A personal, adrenaline-induced journey

Rapper Slug (Sean Daley) and DJ Ant (Anthony Davis) of Atmosphere have released So Many Other Realities Exist Simultaneously. “Okay” kicks the album off with an upbeat entrance featuring affirmations such as “It’ll be okay…you’re still with us today” while the instrumentals evoke a sense of happiness. Slug reassures this is only the beginning.

Songs like “Eventide” and “Sterling,” offer an internal look at Atmosphere’s anxiety symptoms, such as wasting time and how materialistic things become a comfort for most, especially after the pandemic. This album gets heavy with “In My Head,” “It Happened Last Morning” and “Bigger Pictures” each having a sense of urgency and uneasiness and a psychedelic tempo that feels like a bad trip colliding with lyrics that are almost screaming “HELP ME PLEASE.”

With themes of drug escapism and self-imposed limitations, “Thanxiety” is a blatant theme for the whole record with lyrics such as “…I’m just a sack full of testosterone and confidence.” The boldness of the vocals with brash, uneasy, trippy background instrumentals feels like a battle of Ego and Id.  Atmosphere gives small breaks between the loud noise of anxiety with interludes like “Crop Circles” and “Truth & Nail,” still gripping the audience’s hand tight enough to feel like something is off but not enough to run and take cover.

Anthems like “September Fools’ Day,” “Watercolors” and “Still Life” gives equilibrium to the album; living in a crazy violent world is burdensome, yes, but there are still great things to look forward to. These tracks give warm summer sunshine to the darker-toned songs that is much needed while still keeping the underlying theme. The atmosphere acts like an unorthodox therapist to the ears, “Sculpting with Fire,” “Dotted Lines,” “Positive Space” and “Portrait” has a heavy old Skool-type beat that immediately demands attention and has the essence of a motivational speaker addressing topics like self-resilience and perseverance through tough times.

Atmosphere doesn’t forget to add a hint of fun like “Talk Talk,” which has a funky ‘80s synth instrumental which is different from the other more conscious verses. Another mellow addition to the album is “Holding My Breath,” a sort of Jamaican stoner anthem that touches on Slug missing his father and how his anxiety causes him to tense up and hold his breath. The record ends with “Alright,” which is a reprise of the opening track, making it out of the twisty adrenaline-induced world of Atmosphere. 

So Many Other Realities Exist Simultaneously is a perfect illustration of the cycles of mental illness, the ups of conquering the day, finding the little gray area in a growing bleak planet and the mighty lows of imposter syndrome and self-criticism. The dark songs paired with the upbeat fun breaks between make this body of work perfect for good days and days spent in solitude.