Have you ever listened to City Girl (from one of my many mentions of the project on the blog, probably) and thought “OK, this is great but what if it was even more spacey?” Well, if you’ve ever asked this very specific and unlikely question, then I have good news for you and that good news is called Ramses B. The project, which has a score of releases dating back all the way to 2011, makes the kind of chill-out synthwave that I’ve grown to love playing in the middle of the night. But here, things are even slower and more ambient. Added to this formula is a heavier emphasis on vocals, resulting in a mix which reminds us most of Purity Ring. Head on below to head into space.
It’s not just that the beats are slower here (although that does go a long way towards establishing the more chilled out atmosphere) but also that every is more muffled. The synths are pretty much the only thing coming in clearly; the drums are wrapped in layers of fluffy smoke, the vocals are drawling and distant, and the entire thing just feels…out there, floating in some void or space. While the album has faster, more heavy hitting tracks (like “Lost” for example), the production stays muffled and toned down so that even that more dub/chip influenced track feels smooth as drowned silk. The end result is that Cosmonauts fits the description on the project’s Bandcamp: “music to heal the soul”.
I’ve found myself gravitating more and more to this kind of music (and, on the flip side, to super heavy death metal) as we find ourselves stuck in this prolonged, atemporal crisis of ours. It helps my body relax and my brain to slow down, just letting the music wash over them. Ramses B is exceptional at creating the kind of mood necessary to enable that so if, like me, you’re looking for a good escape, this album should be your ticket out. Happy trails.