album review

Floatie
Voyage Out
Exploding Sound Records
March 26, 2021

The music of Floatie could be categorized simply as art rock. Their sound is strummy, clean, filled with delicious holes, and smothered in droning poetic vocals. The nine tracks of Voyage Out seem to roll by in a flash, passing seamlessly from one to the next. The transitions are handled with such musicianship, the album feels like one long composition. But I don’t mean to imply that the songs are plagued by sameness, on the contrary. They contain multitudes. 

The title track, “Voyage Out” hits right away with anxiety in both music and lyric, “Treading in open water, looking for what to hold on to.” The percussive music rocking up in unexpected peaks, throwing me off kilter. But then the journey turns suddenly, the song catches the wave, suddenly moving faster, almost joyous, rolling and urging you on, until the final third. The wave breaks into an easy gentle lapping over warm sand, becoming a calm, soothed soul. This song is the whole package. Actually it is one out of nine, each of which is its own exploration. “Castleman” goes from jaunty, to bossa nova sway, to puke evoking trampoline back to Ipanema swaying, with smooth efficiency. The grunge fuzz on “Lookfar” kicks up some aggression and depth, only to morph into a bopping strut. I love all the cyclical patterns and rhythms on this album. The groove on “Water Recipe” sounds effortless, and carries over to “In the Night,'' where it, of course, evolves and pushes the envelope of the music.

Clearly for Floatie, music is the master; and true to the math/art/prog/frog rock genre, they are using jazz shapes to express sharp emotions in crystal clear twangs. The production fans the band out with precision, so they are arrayed in front of me when I close my eyes. So incredibly satisfying as I watch the guitars pass the melody from string to string, pinballing around with symphonic swirls of syncopation. The drummer, Luc Schutz, hits with or between the guitars with such crunchy precision, it makes my brain fizz. This is some pretty cerebral shit, and is best enjoyed by an open mind ready to go on a journey. And a good pair of headphones.
-Tina Mead