If you have never spent your night watching the dwindling rays of a setting sun cast shadows upon your ceiling, headphones firmly hugging your ears, haunting synths and electric drums boring a momentary life-altering reality into your mind, then you've never listened to Seattle-based producer Ark Patrol. That may be a particular slice of life that you reserve for the more traditional vanguards—Tame Impala, Animal Collective—but one listen to his new single, "Falling From Heaven" will have you quickly nodding along in unanimous approval.
Otherwise known as Brandon Gomez, Ark Patrol has recently enjoyed a string of commercial successes, landing at the forefront of trailers for Euphoria and even Microsoft's Surface Ear Buds. While "Hex" captivated with its flashy synths and saturated kicks, "Falling From Heaven" settles into a more subdued stupor, lulling with simple keyboard strokes and amplified hums. Though his energy has shifted, Gomez maintains the same air of other-worldliness through the sheer art of melody. There is nothing disjointed or juxtaposed about it, yet, there is an eeriness to it all the same. The distorted bass gives way to even more distorted vocals, his first to be recorded on a single. Somehow, it all comes together into a tightly packed four-minute track that urges you to hold the headphones tighter to your ears, so you may completely absorb the trailing backbeat and chirping synths.
Ark Patrol has long won fans over with his live instrumental performances, landing a supporting role on nationwide tours for Baynk and Big Wild respectively. It's the reason why his sound can easily switch between dark and light, following the particular mood of the day. And as he prepares for the release of his next project, Geode, it will be the cementing factor in his forecasted legacy as a household name in the electronic scene.
