Parallax is the new double album from Bending Grid, featuring an array of collaborators and ambitions to redefine the synth-wave genre.

By Graeme Smith

There’s something of a local connection for us with Bending Grid. Though the man behind to project is American, he once lived just down the road in Beverley.

Inspired by the science fiction of the 1980s and B-movie cult classics, his new album Parallax has a distinctly cinematic sound to it. Comprising of no less than 20 tracks, it’s a double feature and one you can most certainly get lost in if you make the time for it.

Featuring on the album are the talents of Jolie, Teya Flow, The Safety Word, Roxi Drive, Berzan Onen, By Forever, Lucy Dreams, Violet Fears, KERO, Gulsah Brett, Andrew O’Halloran, Zefear, Kaarin Zoe Lee, and Outshift, making it an eccelctic and diverse collection that keeps things interesting while never losing its central sound.

That sound is a mix of retro and modern dance. Opening track Neon Heat introduces it with a driving arrangement made rich by the emotional vocals of Jolie before Party In My Time Machine cements it with a dark and moody number that you can’t help but move along to.

Lyrically we see the epic and intergalactic married with more earthly concerns such as parties, relationships and conflict. It’s all pushed through a sci-fi lens, giving us an extra sense of the dramatic, ever backed by an atmospheric electro soundtrack.

Particular highlights are a surprise take on The Weeknd’s Blinding Lights, the rousing Rad Warrior, the sultry and sax-y Retrospace, and slow-burning, introspective album closer The Universe Within.

Bending Grid’s new album is a journey through space and emotion, and its extended runtime means it’ll be one that won’t be over in a hurry. You can take your time exploring its mix of the cutting edge and the retro, delighting in its highs and being fired up by its feisty moments. It’s a synth-wave triumph.

Parallax is out now and you can check it out below.