i can't be alone tonite- Set Dressing
Although Mandy, Indiana had been steadily building hype since their earliest explosive singles in the early 2020s, their excellent 2023 debut LP, i’ve seen a way, is an unusually well-realized debut that marked the true arrival of one of the most promising bands in experimental rock. Like many bands of their ilk, the touchstones weren’t hard to spot, but the way they were recontexutalized and assimilated into their overall sound presented M,I as a band with a completely distinctive vision. The immense anticipation for any word on a follow-up continues to build (they released a superb single last year called “Idea Is Best”, but that’s the extent so far), and earlier this year their guitarist/producer, Scott Fair, dropped his debut solo EP, i can’t be alone tonite, under the alias set dressing. While icbat doesn’t traffic in the sounds of noise rock fusing with techno like M,I, it casts a comparably dour, compelling spell that’s distinctly its own.
icbat is a 5 song, 18 minute EP credited strictly to sd. It’s spare, haunting synth music that never comes off as anything other than one person, composing music alone, possibly in some of the same caverns that isaw was recorded in. These songs swap M,I’s muscular, electronic rock quartet approach for impressionistic electronic soundscapes that put a much higher premium on texture, touching on coldwave, ambient, and vaporwave with equal aplomb. While there’s plenty to admire about the synth playing alone, icbat is an extremely insular affair, with no sort of obvious draw for anyone who isn’t already predisposed to music that keeps listeners at an arm’s length. The vocals are unintelligible whenever present, and they’re used more like another sound woven into the fold than a leading presence. But beneath the icy veneer, icbat offers plenty of the same sort of appeal that runs parallel to the adventurous spirit coursing through M,I’s veins.
The opening song/title track kick starts the EP on an eerie, propulsive note. An evocative synth arpeggio like something straight out of an 80s dystopian B film ignites right out of the gates, and within short order heavily effects-laden, otherworldly vocals, and a simple kick/snare drum machine rhythm join suit. Wisps of additional textures that sound like field recordings periodically glide through the mix, and the music eventually snaps into taut, foreboding coldwave groove. From there we flow into “it will only end”, which retains the rickety drum programming and indiscernible vocals of the former with a funkier synth progression. The following song, “date line”, is pure vaporwave bliss, with its chintzy synth arpeggios and lumbering snare groove. Although the words still can’t be made out beyond the enthusiastic “Date Line!” vocal sample, its campy sensibilities superbly offset the darkness of the rest of the EP.
The EP sustain its sinister streak throughout the final stretch, which is also where the music really hits its stride. On “gender balance”, the music settles into a creeping coldwave dirge, with codeine-coded drum programming propelling the proceedings. The vocals hit a deeply affecting peak as they breach the high end of Scott’s digitally treated register, wringing a deeply heartfelt poignancy from the synthetic tone despite the unintelligibility on display. The surreal emotional crux coupled with the slow-burn sway of the synths renders it the pinnacle of the sd project so far. And on closer “class valedictorian”, the vocals subside entirely as the music takes a turn towards dark ambient to close things out. Very little transpires throughout “class valedictorian”, but the evocative synth swells shifting throughout convey worlds of unease. While brief and not quite as visceral nor as dynamic as M,I, this first sd release exudes a uniquely disquieting that’s well hopefully hear expanded on.
Essentials: “gender balance” & “class valedictorian”
