Announcing the debut solo album Surreal from Antrom Alexander, the San Francisco Bay Area Based artist. Written during the coronavirus pandemic, while the world was both still and in a frenzy, the seven-song EP delves into the multiple peculiar elements that combine to create the human experience — holding the power of intuition at its core. The first track “Lean In,” is a hypnotic track celebrating Alexander’s embrace of his personal sound and the liberating effect listening to his instincts had on his creativity and well-being. “Touch and Go,” features glimmering psych pop grooves beneath the vocals of Brian Belier — a strong collaborator throughout the EP. The album’s eponymous track could be from tomorrow’s spaghetti western, the guitar both galloping and gentle while the lyrics question our attachment to digital devices and the bizarre reality of a whole year spent living through screens. The dream-like and foreboding “Tales of the State” features fellow Bay Area multi-instrumentalist Tauwoo on vocals and drums. Taken together, all seven tracks display Alexander’s talent for blending ethereal, cosmic sounds with a visceral sense of grounding. Influenced by Middle Eastern melodies and his Palestinian roots (along with Khruangbin, Ratatat, Tame Impala and Unknown Mortal Orchestra), Alexander has given us a first album that is both fresh and familiar, a creative tango with the strangeness of the world we live in.
Written by Nereya Otieno
