In Decay. Too＜Colored Vinyl＞

Before Seth Haley adopted the name Com Truise and joined the Ghostly International roster, he released music under other monikers including Sarin Sunday, Airliner, and Systm, often through netlabels or Myspace. 2012s In Decay collected nearly an hours worth of early and unreleased material from Haleys archive, and its 2020 sequel, compiled with the help of superfan Polychora, does much the same. While Haleys work became more ambitious and technically stunning as his career progressed, he established his signature sound early on, making his catalog remarkably consistent. In Decay, Too delivers more or less what fans would expect, but it does show off his range a bit more than some of his other releases. Midtempo drum machine patterns and hazy synth melodies are standard elements of Haleys tracks, and while theyre often laid-back and beach-worthy, his music is more intricate than it seems, and his busier, more involved tracks stand out. Chemical Legs (first released as part of the Adult Swim Singles Program in 2012) has more jittery synths and glorious panoramic drum fills, but the most surprising part is when clear vocals show up for a verse, after first appearing through vocoders. Reciprocity is a bit faster and more new wave-sounding than usual for Com Truise, and with more live-sounding drums; as a nice touch, it morphs into a slower, murkier beat for the last minute. I Dream (For You) is slower and initially sparser, with a sinister robot voice repeating the songs title, but it eventually gains trap-influenced drum programming and more vivid, exploratory synths. Galactic Melt (presumably an off-cut from the projects 2011 full-length debut) is more disorienting at first, beginning with a manic collage of bitcrushed glitches and a disembodied cry, but it soon settles into Haleys familiar slo-mo funk sound. Peach (6809) almost seems like Com Truises version of rave music, with a fizzy bass line similar to early Prodigy but more mangled, and atmospheric synths that swirl around in a state of wonder. ~ Paul Simpson