Humboldt Relief is in my heart during these tough times. Please keep them in your heart, too. Peace and love to my friends at Humboldt Relief :)
This tape here is a fine example of taking a chance without knowing or hearing anything. When one browses the selections at places like Eclipse or Tomentosa, there is almost always an opportunity to find a hidden gem. That's the case on I Don't Know Yet, by I am Just a Pupil on Diatom Bath. Aside from a bandcamp page, there's a dearth of information available on the artist. The artwork is suggestive of the contents, which generally consist of warm, lofi nugs that exhibit an expansive quality. I like the speed at which this tape travels, which is nice and easy.
Soon after pressing play, ambient vibrations and loops turn hypnotic as shapes begin to manifest from the contrast of plodding tones and lighter, more lively sonics. This music gives proper notice to your head - good times are here. I really dig the second track, which in a way touches on the hazy, visceral warmth of the Khonnor Typewriting ep on Type Records from nearly 10 years ago. The track begins as Twinkling tones, opaque waves, and buoyant vocal drone begin to expand through the environment. Together the elements are like the haze from my favorite top shelf smoke. Shortly, the vibe escalates, finds stasis and hazily drifts. Present in this track, as well as the others, is a proclivity for subtle change that create discernibly beautiful patterns of sound. Unexpectedly, the flip shortly departs from the warm ambient vibe; instead, the listener is confronted with intense, unpredictable thrusts of violent sound mixed with faint pulsations. As a whole, it churns and creates cycles of energy. At this point, the sound exists under a veil; and, before long, sun imbued tones vacillate contiguously to a drone. Discernibly, the tempo shifts down a few levels before inundating the listener with layers of fiercely reverberating sound.
In total, this is a great tape from a nice looking label. Diatom Bath already has put out a bunch of quality releases, with a slew of intriguing stuff planned for the future. No soundclips available, but that should be an incentive to purchase the tape. Buy it before it goes OOP at Tomentosa.
peace and love, friends :)
