@
Are You There God? It’s Me, @
CARPARK
@ embrace the digital daze and the era of endless information on their latest EP, Are You There God? It’s Me, @. A sharp departure from the offbeat folk and whimsical analog acoustics that defined last year’s debut full-length, Mind Palace Music, their latest offering shows them experimenting with electronic sounds. Consisting primarily of software instrumentation, the EP possesses an autoelectronic detachment reminiscent of the droning dial tone familiar to the dawn of the internet.
Still, there are signs of life scattered throughout. Whether it’s Victoria Rose’s classical choral singing—as heard on her acapella intro to the title track—or the delicate flutes that co-exist with the coldly AI-esque voice on opener “Processional,” the EP hints at something human. These songs hold up a mirror to our strange relationship with technology, how we say “I love you” from behind screens and have instant access to everyone we care about via our iPhones. As @ tease hyperpop influences and cite Stereolab and search engines going sentient as sources of inspiration, the glitched-out bricolage of beeps and boops feel like misfired synapses as they exude the artificial glow of a MacBook Pro.
While it isn’t yet clear whether @ will continue down this rabbit hole of drum machines and automated beats, the quest to find something mystic in the face of mechanization isn’t going anywhere.
