unTIL BEN - The Ray

What I've seen of unTIL Ben so far can be described as lighthearted synthpop/synthwave with a sci-fi kick. We aren't talking about "Alien" universe levels of sci-fi horror or gore, but more along the lines of self exploration and enlightenment in a larger-than-life universe found in films such as Pixar's "Wall-E". This is a solo artist who crafts touching and groovy music while packing in a wide array of genres such as industrial, synthpop, and experimental music. 

That being said, The Ray is unTIL BEN's debut eight track album that follows a protagonist as he leaves Earth to stop a mysterious ray of light coming from outer space. The debut was slowly teased across the board with three different singles: 'Computer Decadence', 'The Road', and 'The Impossible Return'. All three tracks got me hyped up for The Ray because - as I said earlier - the music was intriguing and piqued my interest. 

'We'Re Dying' is the introductory track that begins off with a slow moving ambient sound wave that is joined by grim piano music. An intimidating and omen-bearing pulse then begins. Paired with unTIL BEN's soft, higher pitched singing voice, the track came off as both charming but intimidating. 'Find A Way' continued the main anthem of this album, and that anthem is "soft". unTIL BEN has a charming way of delivering electronic music. It's not necessarily ambient, but nor can I classify it as dance music. It's electro, with electronic guitar and the like hitting in. 

'The Choice' used a drum fast paced drum beat separated by seconds each time it rolls to create a heartbeat like effect. The rest of the track has IDM intertwined with the song, all while keeping the sci-fi style up and open. IDM continues a reign of dominance with 'Lows & Highs', 'Computer Decadence', and 'Landing'. 'The Road' breaks away from the trend, however, and brings back electric-guitar and a more synthpop/electro beat. 'The Impossible Return' is the final song on the album, and it concludes the ballad with another soft spoken electronic track with more IDM elements scattered about. 

unTIL BEN is a good music producer with clarity when it comes to quality. His debut EP is fairly strong, but what it lacks are absolute hit tracks that can be shared by one friend to another with them saying, "I NEED to listen to this again." As of right now, it's a wonderful EP that's good for a pass through, but also might not be one that everyone will be talking about for ages. I think that unTIL BEN has the talent to create a smashing album, and while that can happen in the future, The Ray stands as a good, not passing beyond expectations, debut EP. 
Apr 30 2016