Having enjoyed this New Jersey electro pop virtuoso’s two “hypnotic, ear-tickling” releases as Textbook Maneuver, 2025’s Adrenaline Slip and 2024’s Strike Joy EP, it was no surprise this neo-classical piano LP under his own name would also delight. Titles Electronica opens with four alluring, intimate piano pieces, the bright, carousel/music box-like “Little One” and deeper, reverberant “Absent Spectator, Pts. 1-3”; on each, gently struck notes constantly shift in shape and tone, creating melodies that elicit feelings of nostalgia and wistfulness.
The next four rework each of those by integrating Textbook Maneuver’s signature ambient keyboard effects and sounds. Thus, “Little One Mirage” becomes more submerged and expansive, while on the “Absent Spectator” tracks, dozens of airy, sedative, and resilient noises vacillate throughout. The meditative “Fever Dream,” as graceful as a Chopin nocturne or Beethoven sonata, seals this pacifying album.
Michael Keane: Bandcamp | Life Science Records: Bandcamp
