The auditory overload of Garden of Delete

From the guy who probably invented vaporwave, comes in even more weird shit. Experimental American musician, Daniel Lopatin (more commonly known as Oneohtrix Point Never) ruptures the walls of reality with his new record Garden of Delete.

Oneohtrix Point Never records have always managed to sound like expertly arranged collections of experiments rather than a linear, narrative driven album. Like his previous work, it’s full of alien sounds, but this time they’re combined to form something that feels more whole.

From the grungy depths of ‘Sdfk’ to the anthemic heights of ‘I Bit Through It,’ Garden of Delete takes us on a journey through an otherwordly landscape that few musicians are capable of constructing.

I’ve spent the last week almost exclusively listened to the record; each listen allows me, for short moment, to escape the reality of everyday life. It has guided me through the streets at night as a walk through dark, isolated pathways and kept me awake on late, lonely bus rides home. But it is far more than a companion. From the beeping of tube doors closing to midnight conversations in McDonalds, the album perfectly blends in with the sounds of travel and the bustle of the inner city.

A journey through an otherwordly landscape

It is cinematic on a personal level, making every moment feel like the prelude to an ominous threat.

While it is by far Lopatin’s most welcoming collection of songs, there is still a lot of experimentation across the twelve tracks that make up the record.

It may not have been his intention, the theme of deletion and negative space is essential to much of the appeal of Garden of Delete.

At the beginning of ‘Ezra’ it sounds like he has selected parts of the track and pressed delete on a keyboard; in these moments of silence he evokes far more emotion than many artists can in three minutes. Time stops. And then starts back up again, like a nightmarish, glitched rollercoaster.

There is much about Garden of Delete to fear; the gargles, asthmatic whimpers, and high-pitched squeams of its vocal samples quickly become rival voices in your head.

Sometimes you can hear words among these warped growls, and amusingly Lopatin has released a set of lyric sheets for the album.

As always, Lopatin creates an electric range of synthesiser sounds. Some are grainy and uncomfortable to listen to and there are the usual hard hitting crashes.

These are matched by the dulcet tones of strings, which at times sound like weird imitations of Arca.

Listen to it in the darkest corner of the darkest alleyway in the worst part of town

There’s one synth on the album shimmering; if we could hear the sun shining this would what it would sound like.

‘Mutant Standard’, an eight minute epic, stands out as the most cinematic on the record. It starts of like a thumping, violent heartbeat and evolves into a richly layered anthem. It’s music to get you hyped.

To fully appreciate Oneohtrix Point Never’s latest work listen to it in the darkest corner of the darkest alleyway in the worst part of town.

Lose all illusion of safety and allow it to guide you through through the night. By the time you arrive at your destination, the music is over, but your mind and body are ready.

Garden of Delete by Oneohtrix Point Never is out now on Warp