Quick Look
Liminal Spaces
by: Hantasi
Written By:Voiture <3
Proto-vapor and related pre-genres are always the coolest of the bunch when it comes to the endless varieties of music that fall under the vaporwave umbrella. The vaporwave progenitors of yore carry a uniquely mysterious atmosphere that sometimes matters more than the music itself when listening. Vacant Places delivers hollow and foreboding music, like mallsoft straight out of a nightmare or The Backrooms, and it’s easily one of our absolute favorite releases to date. We were really looking for more of that from Hantasi in this collection of mallsoft, which sees big shifts throughout as the artist’s style develops and changes over the course of the 8 years in which these tracks were produced. There are some good bits and pieces in the collection, but any songs that you might not like are likely to last for a bit, with a fair amount of tracks ranging anywhere from 4 to 13 minutes. Some sudden, loud noises come at the beginning of a couple tracks to boot, keeping you on your toes in a somewhat cruel manner after you’ve settled in. While this can partially be chalked up to a craving for more mystery and creepiness in our favorite electronic subgenres, we don’t think this collection does Hantasi’s seminal album—nor the artist’s true potential—justice. Any average mallsoft creator could put out a collection like this and be met with good reception, but the case is different with someone like Hantasi. Liminal Spaces is a perfectly fine musical experience, but it’s underwhelming when we know just how high the artist can go.
Favorite Track: Comfy Aisles
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Written by:
Voiture <3
Copy Editing By: DJ Nonn