Tropics
Rapture
INNOVATIVE LEISURE
6/10
Multi-instrumentalist Chris Ward returns under the soulful, psych-pop moniker Tropics with a sophomore offering that whittles down his influences and settles on a new focus, in both aesthetic and overall message. Tropics’ 2011 debut Parodia Flare was jagged along the edges, unrefined, with its cogs and wheels a little too exposed. While Rapture still possesses hints of Ward’s previous work, it carries a softer, yet fuller sound. The album puts less attention on exorbitant decoration and more emphasis on the inherent spirit of each track. With an intense determination and decided sense of purpose, Ward’s sensual tone leans towards a delicate and wavering falsetto when he gets particularly sentimental. Ward’s lyricism arrives in a series of almost poetic loops that tread a perfect circle to ensure listeners not only hear his message, they feel it. Rapture doesn’t instantly transport listeners to ecstasy, but it has the potential to help them get there.
