Solo Statement, Beautiful Blend
In his first attempt at a solo project, Matthew Iwanusa steps away from his previous project with the band Caveman and pivots to releasing music under the name RIP Dunes. His debut album, under the same title, shows off much of the experience Iwanusa has gained as well as his vibrant artistry and musicianship, blending many different sounds and textures at a very high level.
One of the later tracks off of RIP Dunes asks the very topical question of “is it real?,” that song coincidentally titled “Is it Real?”. That question seems to present itself much earlier than the track itself, as the listener is quickly left to decipher what instruments are authentic in the dense blend of instruments that make up each track. In the RIP Dunes bio on the MINT Talent Group website, it confides that “Iwanusa has always loved synths, but he wanted to move away from that as driving force this time around.” Although synths may not be the driving force for the record’s sound, Iwanusa’s love for synths is made abundantly clear, as they’re sprinkled artistically throughout the album’s 11 tracks. Most of the tracks contain some sort of synth element, whether it be doubling the vocal like on “Part of Me” or filling the space with pads in “Now I’m Older” as well as several others. As present as the synths are most of the time, they never outshine the authentic elements of bass, guitars and occasionally pianos.
Iwanusa not only has found a way to incorporate many different sounds into a cohesive texture, he has also accomplished an even steeper feat of bringing together different genres while maintaining a signature sound throughout. The first track “Backwards” sets the tone very nicely for a pleasant blend of indie rock, shoegaze and a dash of vaporwave, but the listener is never left bored, with each subsequent track having a stark difference from the last. By the time “Part of Me” comes around at the back end of the track listing, any listener not paying attention to the previous tracks could be led to believe this has been a country rock album all along, but Iwanusa is quick to remind us of his sound when the vocals and synths return to the mix. Having such a diverse spread of styles while still maintaining a recognizable sound profile is not a simple accomplishment, which will certainly result in high anticipations for whatever the follow-up to RIP Dunes manifests as.
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