Dabin Navigates the Gilded Cages of Love in Radiant New Album, "Aura Park" Gurilla Evaluation -

Whereas different artists chase viral TikTok moments and disposable streaming numbers, Dabin has spent almost three years crafting Aura Park, an album that prioritizes depth over drops to discover what it means to be painfully human.

The Korean-Canadian producer and instrumentalist in the present day launched his fourth album, which features as an audio journal of latest relationships. Its 13 tracks navigate heartbreak and hope with tact and tenderness.

The paradox of Aura Park is how one thing so fastidiously constructed can really feel so organically emotional, like watching tears kind in excellent geometric patterns. Look no additional than “Deepest Water,” the place Dabin produces a distorted synthscape that washes over a walk-on-air electro drop as Syd Taylor sings in regards to the messy promise of unwavering loyalty.

Elsewhere, Stephanie Poetri’s vocals on “Not Sufficient” ship self-preservation wrapped in melancholy, with Dabin permitting house earlier than uncorking an effervescent four-on-the-floor drop. It is the sound of shifting on, delivered by means of weightlessly euphoric dance music.

The fan-favorite “Hole” finds Dabin at his most experimental, entwining fluttery future bass with the ferocious dubstep and metalcore of Kai Wachi. With its existential vocals from Lø Spirit, the only, which was named by EDM.com as certainly one of 2023’s greatest digital tracks, is a danger that pays off.

“I See You,” one of many album’s surefire highlights, is classic Dabin. Co-produced by NURKO, it is a melodic bass tearjerker elevated by the usually gorgeous vocals of Skylar Gray, whose visceral efficiency reminds us that digital music can nonetheless set off real goosebumps. The identical might be stated of “In The Finish,” his newest joint effort with longtime collaborator Mentioned The Sky, the place Clara Mae’s haunting vocals conjure the presence of somebody who was by no means there.

All stated and finished, Aura Park is not revolutionary in its method, however its execution is immaculate. True to kind, Dabin has crafted an album that calls for you dance however insists you’re feeling one thing within the course of. And in a style that always sacrifices substance for fashion, that is one thing price celebrating.

You possibly can take heed to Aura Park beneath and discover the brand new album on streaming platforms here.