A thoroughly satisfying electronic smorgasbord of muddy beats and distortion that exhibits Tonikom’s vast musical tapestry.
Tonikom (aka Rachel Maloney) returns to Hymen, this being her fourth album for the enduring German imprint and seventh overall. This time focused on a plethora of sonic invasion including but not limited to bass, glitch, ambient, industrial and IDM, Seeking the Lost Mind is a cataclysmic foray which seeks to extract rather than infuse itself to the subconscious. Whether or not Tonikom’s mission during the fabrication of this album has been unveiled is anyone’s guess, but we’re confident the results based on these dozen tracks is on point and well constructed.
“Dark Hand” sheds pretty electrical data fields which streams by like Toytronic-era music from early 00s. “Nocturnal” reveals industrial bass and beat morphed with involved glitch electro forms and a rhythmic swirling fuzz. Breaks spew from all sides on “The Narrowing Path” as melodic sheets broken up by throbbing harmonic low-end mesh together. “Spinning Away” opens a crackling technoid outer shell of minimal downtempo constructs, layers of dust settling in the background. It all comes to a head on the contagious “Kokoro,” a menacing yet tantalizing cascade of chilled electronics blended into a molten soup. “Motomero” unveils a shimmering tone, voices tucked away, its eerie broken beat and synths snaking its way through the haze. A hardy percussive sand-blasting is on display with “The Cavern” as the bass-smudged electro tinge on “Dug Down” offers subtle nostalgic voices blending into a cold mesh of bass heavy bliss.
A thoroughly satisfying electronic smorgasbord of muddy beats and distortion that exhibits Tonikom’s vast musical tapestry.
Seeking the Lost Mind is available on Hymen.
