Maladaptive Daydreams is the second EP released by Flynn aka Lamond Sutherland. Flynn mentions “It aims to reflect the anxiety and the stress caused by working in the catering industry during the summer months, especially in a tourist city such as Edinburgh. Much of the compositions are inspired by my day job as a cook, and the dread and exhaustion I felt during the summer, but also how beautiful my home city is during that period as well. I guess as a whole the EP sets out to convey a feeling of beautiful anxiety.”
“If We Survive The Summer” is up first and is a roller coaster ride of a song. It starts with guitar and some hall reverb. Other elements start to trickle in including bass and what sounds like a reversed piano effect. Once the drums come in there is a clear post-rock vibe to my ears. I was reminded of bands like Explosions in the Sky and Mogwai. That being said, the song definitely shifts away from standard post-rock structure. I was hearing an almost metal vibe but more focused on synths. There’s a really cool sounding build around the two- minute mark. Great opener that from beginning to end transitions to different styles.
BANDCAMP: https://flynnsego.bandcamp.com/album/maladaptive-daydreams-ep
The next track “Maladaptive” starts with syncopated drum and bass work with pads and clean guitar creating the atmosphere. As the song progresses it gets more intense which happens before the one-minute mark. I wasn’t expecting the chip-tune like aesthetics to emerge but it worked. The song continues to impress with piano taking the lead and towards the end the guitar takes over. It rocks hard.
Last up is “The Hours” which fades with the slickest guitar pattern yet. I also loved the dragging beat on this song. The minimalist piano works very well creating some melancholy and warmth to the groove. There’s also changes to the way the drums are produced. It sounds like a mix of organic and electronic elements. The peak of the entire EP might be around the three-minute mark where he hits upon a dynamic and unique groove that gets better and better till the end of the song.
This was a tight and cohesive EP. Fans of post-rock should appreciate this most but I think this style of music will attract a lot of people. Take a listen.
Heather Savage
