Daniel Avery explores the edge between electronic and rock on Tremor.
Tremor finds Daniel Avery leaning further away from straightforward club music and deeper into a hybrid space where electronic production collides with rock-oriented textures. Across its thirteen tracks, the album prioritizes atmosphere and weight over momentum, often favoring density and distortion instead of immediacy.
Opening track “Neon Pulse” functions more as an ambient introduction than a full statement, slowly setting the mood before transitioning into “Rapture in Blue.” That track stands out early as one of the album’s strongest moments. Its slower pacing and heavy electronic influence create a genuine emotional pull, showing Avery at his most focused and effective. It feels deliberate without overreaching and establishes a high bar for what follows.
“Haze” marks a clear shift in direction, bringing guitars, live drums and layered vocals to the forefront. The rock influence is unmistakable and carries into “A Silent Shadow,” reinforcing the album’s interest in grit and texture. While the approach is cohesive, it begins to blur together at times, making it harder for individual tracks to stand out.
“New Life” briefly redirects the album’s energy, built around a breakbeat drum pattern, evolving synths and hypnotic vocals that give the track a sense of movement. “Greasy off the Racing Line” is one of the more dynamic songs on the record, pairing low-end heavy drums with melodic vocal moments and a drop that sharply contrasts its calmer sections. It feels intentionally disjointed in a way that works.
“Until the Moon Starts Shaking” and “A Memory Wrapped in Paper and Smoke” both function more as interludes than full songs, relying on synth textures and sound design rather than structure. They help maintain flow but do little to shift the album’s overall trajectory.
The record’s heavier stretch arrives with “The Ghost of Her Smile,” a loud and reverb-soaked track that lives up to its haunting title. “Disturb Me” pushes that darkness further with a distorted kick and aggressive tone, though it sacrifices melody outside of its chorus sections.
The title track “Tremor” is a clear highlight, successfully blending synth driven rhythm with explosive guitar passages while maintaining focus. Closing track “I Feel You” is the album’s longest and most cinematic moment, slowly unfolding with uplifting chords, drifting synths and a sense of resolution that feels earned.
While Tremor can feel dense and uneven at times, its commitment to texture and emotional weight makes it one of Avery’s more ambitious and challenging releases.
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