Baltimore-based Ricky Eat Acid was a tumblr find I was fortunate enough to catch through the rebloggers and animated gifs. Along with the majority of the content on tumblr, his music also proved to be addicting. Recently signed onto Chill Mega Chill Records, his first full length album, “Haunt You Forever” has been circling the tumblr/twittersphere. While his label release is a coy attempt at seduction, he succeeds more in delivering a telepathic art piece rather than a love note. Through his catalouge pre and post label releases, a pattern of attention to detail is seen in every track, with more and more definition and style accumulated along the way.
Ricky Eat Acid – “Anxieties” feat. Rachel Levy
“Anxieties” begins by giving you space: with notes pushing outwards, it soon reveals a faint song that carries you from one tone hill to another. While the majority of my commuter playlist held an upbeat pace and stomping rhythms, this track approached the walk as a thematic journey rather than a destination. Each drop leaves a gauzy aftertaste of distortion in its wake, showing that Ricky Eat Acid means to draw landscapes rather than tone poems. Yet, when the song came to its stuttering end, it left nothing wanting; this was a credit to Ricky Eat Acid’s eye for detail.
The preciseness in his music is continued in “Creep”, a dragging, mini-opus that culminates from a deliberate heaviness to a calm fade. Its angelic overtones weave between the repetitive melody, allowing for a heavier pulse to move in unnoticed until the sudden silence. Then, from deep in the background, soft harmonies begin to grow from nothing, creating a faint landing to a waiting reality. The majority of his first release “like i was floating” is just that– throughout the album, Ricky Eat Acid takes black & white pictures of disembodied scenes that he hopes to translate into sound; and he does to much success.
Between his experimental debut and his sophomore album, it seems that his charm had not diminished. Instead, a newer confidence is established throughout the album, most apparent in “Luvin’ u”: though short, the melody’s blithe enthusiasm is never lost, reflecting the overall attitude of the album and Ricky Eat Acid as an artist. While Squarepusher influence is apparent in this track, it would be unjust to say that it’s entirely reliant on it. Furthermore, it touches base with his earlier work in knowing how to give closure to the listener; however in this case, it leaves you afloat until the residual hiss is gone and you’re left with an accenting silence.
While cheeky, the gravity of Ricky Eat Acid’s music design is, ironically, in his use of lighter layers and their eventual build into a hazy chorus. “Skeletons” comes off as a patient piece and it is: there’s a right amount of vocal stuttering fading in and out as the piano riff slowly builds momentum; immediately, I’m stricken with scenes of a city park on an overcast day. It’s impossible to escape Ricky Eat Acid’s vision when he treats his songs much like he treats his photography: with careful anticipation of communicating what he sees through an entirely different, but complimenting medium.
Connect with Ricky Eat Acid – Bandcamp | Facebook | Twitter | Soundcloud
