If you’ve been incessantly refreshing Instagram the past few days, you may have seen some unexpected posts from ODESZA and Golden Features. The artists revealed that they have collaborated on a new project titled, BRONSON. Fortunately for us, the wait to hear what the project may entail was not long and their first two singles have dropped.
ODESZA and Golden Features first connected on the 2018 VIP remix of “Memories That You Call” for the deluxe edition of A Moment Apart. Prior to the collaborative remix, Golden Features provided the dark brooding remix of “Falls”, the ODESZA and Sasha Sloan collaboration. Unbeknownst to us, the team-up remix and the “Falls” remix provided an early look on the sonic ideation of BRONSON.
The first BRONSON drop brings us “HEART ATTACK” with the siren-esque lau.ra and the grimier, “VAULTS”. For those that have kept up with ODESZA’s NO.SLEEP mixes, “HEART ATTACK” will sound familiar, since it was featured in the 12th edition that was released only a month prior. The track is reminiscent of the collaborative VIP remix with a lighter and prettier feel that breaks to unleash some thick beats and sultry grooviness. It also utilizes fewer sounds that emphasize the beautiful and incendiary vocal work from lau.ra.
“VAULTS” flips the script so to speak. While “HEART ATTACK”, has an airy, uplifting tone, “VAULTS” comes with tension and aggression, drawing similarities to Golden Features’ “Falls” remix and his recent release of “Raka” with The Presets. The sound design is exquisite and sends listeners spiraling through layers of sonic intrigue earmarked by sharp and searing synths. It’s as if it is the yang to “VAULTS” yin.
Furthermore, “VAULTS” set the stage for the project. As BRONSON observes, “it was one of the earlier instrumentals we completed and it acted as a cornerstone to the overall sound design and aesthetic of the album. The track really proved a departure from each artist’s own respective styles and set a definitive change in direction for the BRONSON project. We knew we had something special here and it served as a guiding light for the rest of the record.”
BRONSON came to be after ODESZA and Golden Features grew closer from a mutual admiration on a creative level. After sharing songs back and forth from the other side of the world, they finally got in the studio in 2018. The trio spent a week, in the remote reaches of Berry, Australia, recording what would later become the first BRONSON album.
The double release serves as the hors d’oeuvres to the forthcoming self-titled debut album, set for July 17. If the next singles — if there are any — and the album follow suit, we are looking at a monumental and legendary album that will define the next era of electronic music.
To stream “HEART ATTACK” and “VAULTS”, scroll down. Keep your eyes peeled to CULTR for more BRONSON developments and news.
