Fasten your Seatbelts, Soul!: A Review of Lars’ EP “Journey Of The Soul”

Sharing my thoughts on the new EP from Lars has made me quite cheery! The versatile American creative decided to bring forth his vision of the Future Rave genre, after several interesting creations (on top of all, “Poison“). Yes, his EP “Journey of The Soul” can’t be easily genre-labeled, but there’s a peculiar concurrence of old-school Melodic Techno, Future Rave, dreamy ambiance with tech-y influences in the drops. It’s an experience where you can’t predict what’s coming: a real adventure that slowly unfolds at first, striking with surprises later. Given the opportunity, let’s see it together. Personally, I recommend listening to the album from start to finish as there’s a strong connection existing, especially in “Control” and “Don’t Tell A Lie”. Let’s begin on this “journey” then…

Control
81/100

“Control“, in its essence, is an instrumental Techno/Future Rave work, with brief vocals that enriches the final moments. Darn leads, a minimal getup made for emphasizing the bassline, and a breakdown that takes its sweet time for the build-up towards the climax, forming an explosive union altogether. Craving for the drop, I finally went for the Festival Techno-inspired sequence, where the melody was sparse for my tastes, but the bassline slapped. Strong start to the EP!

Don’t Tell A Lie (ft. Liz Fracica)
83/100

While slowly elevating with the climax elements, Lars continues the journey accompanied by the beautiful vocal from Liz Fracica. Another similar and longer escalation into a gorgeous Future Rave drop! It’s lovely how “Don’t Tell A Lie” remains analogous to the atmosphere of “Control”, but heightens the emotions while highlighting the choices made by Lars with the drops and the melodies.

Four
75/100

With “Four”, the Acid lead was sort of jarring, but the bassline came off as the most vicious among the EP. While the entire album seems more for the club audience, with the third song, things take a spicy turn as this is a potent dynamite for the dancefloors. While I am into other leads, as this was overwhelming in the long run. The trip continues with an “antagonistic” track that sets up the conflict for the finale.

Needless to say, Lars has a knack for melodies that reach out to inner emotions, particularly the trancey sounds around the second build-up on this track.

Journey Of The Soul
86/100

With the titular production, the EP concludes on a glorious note. Of all four, this became my favorite, with a hazy palette that extends the feeling of a impactful end of the journey and, as usual, absolutely terrific basslines! Melodic Techno mixes with Future Rave staples, failing to sound predictable with a fine work on the details. The melody, still minimal, immediately holds up a groove difficult to forget. A worthwhile finale!