Outwave's latest single, "Midnight Sun," is a tranquil journey through life's unspoken puzzles, expertly made in a captivating symphony of memories and future sounds. It's the group's fourth release, and it's apparent that the members have honed their music to a razor's edge with every note.
The song begins with an atmospheric surge of synth-rock and vaporwave, sucking you into a soundscape that's simultaneously earthbound and otherworldly. The reverbed-out guitars and stacked synths intertwine to create a twilight sound that riffs on the colorful '80s and delivers a more contemporary bite. When the first chorus lands at 1:30, the song blossoms, ushering in a lush, expansive soundscape that gains even more depth as it develops. The real rhapsody moment comes at 2:27 when the track starts driving a bit deeper and expands from those initial sounds into a feature that runs the show with a hypnotic groove.
"Midnight Sun" takes on the discomfort of seeking perfection in a world that's quick to judge. It's a sentiment that resonates with many burdened by ceaseless self-interrogation and the expectations that we should fit in everywhere. It's easy to lose yourself in Outwave's examination of these layered feelings, but the track is not so much something you just listen to as it is part of a contemplative moment. The ethereal quality of the lyrics is hypnotic and demands you to take account of the world and themselves with a candid and soothing sincerity.
The track is best suited for late-night listening, preferably with headphones, as the hypnotic rhythms and granular atmospheric textures perfectly encapsulate the sensation of a city at rest, a time when introspection takes on its most moving form. "Midnight Sun" is the soundtrack for those who see beauty in darkness and music for those looking for solace in an unforgiving world. This is great for driving late at night when you need something to soothe through the silence and for reflective moments in your everyday life. This is another one for Outwave, who continue to develop their sound and deliver one hypnotically beautiful track after another.
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