Every story must have an end.
So it is with “Iteration,” the third full length album from the Synth God Com Truise – a.k.a Seth Haley. Nearly 5 years since his last album release, Com Truise continues a loose narrative that follows the epic journey of an eponymous synthetic astronaut and his perilous travels through space and time to a far flung galaxy. This last update to the saga, “Iteration,” finds him falling in love with an alien girl and their attempt to escape a foreign, hostile planet.
The album title, “Iteration” is a play on words, referring to the repetitive nature of electronic music and simultaneously Haley’s attempt to update his sound while staying true to his signature production and thematic elements.
Although he uses a fictional narrative to drive his creativity, Haley’s personal life has bled into the album as well. Following his recent transplant to California, Haley relates he battled with “burnout” and “…uncertainty, transition and ultimately self-realization.” He explained that mirroring his move to a setting with more open space, “I put more air, more breathing room in the music—that was the big change.” In this way we are likely hearing a new “Iteration” Haley himself – a similar version, but somehow changed or updated.
And in this “Iteration” Haley has nailed a critical success. The mix and production here is absolute perfection – as usual. His beat structure still takes a nod from IDM, but he hasn’t lost any bit of his funk. Although there are still a multitude of layered synths playing in unison, there seems to be even less competition between them and even more room for ambience. In short, “Iteration” feels lighter and tighter than his other releases – but that’s not all that’s changed. This album also more lachrymose.
“Iteration” signals a tonal shift from Haley’s previous work. It feels more wistful and less hard sci-fi than his previous releases. This does not feel arrived at by way of nostalgia, as it so often does with Com Truise, but instead from melancholy and heartbreak – a fitting end to a long journey.
This album is, in short, a spectacular masterpiece. An instant classic. Many artists struggle to sustain their “sound” when creating new material, and here Com Truise excels where so many have failed. Haley has managed to update Com Truise in an interesting and rewarding manner – while staying true to the thematic elements of what made Com Truise so authentic to begin with.
Although this is the final installment in his astronaut narrative, Haley has related that he is not yet finished with Com Truise – so fans needn’t worry.
Top tracks: “Usurper,” “Ephemeron,” “Memory,” “Syrthio,” and “Isotasy.”
