On Interrupt - No Absolutes, Only Extremes

Independent synthwave project On Interrupt had their first release in April of 2016 with their double "Galaxies Like Grains of Sand". The free download was made using a series of synthesizers such as the Korg EMX-1 and cemented the project's darkened sound and sci-fi influence for many releases to come. On Interrupt's creator and founder, Mario Correa, then thrust himself head first into the project's first, full-length album "Cosmic Drift". Released in May of 2016, the twelve track album caught a bit of a cult fanbase due to its synthetic design and focus on otherworldly beings (take a look at the song 'The Gates of Yog-Sothoth' for example). 

Around two years of silence followed as Correa continued his sonic exploration for his next album "Lightlike", an April 2018 release. Heralded as a much, much better piece than "Cosmic Drift", Correa's love for Lovecraftian delights and horrific splendors was profound in his music. An EP followed up in May of 2019 that acted as a quasi-sequel to "Lightlike" titled "Totality". Chiming in at five tracks long, Correa's fascination with hardware synthesizers continued in this EP and served as a delightful, stand-alone piece. His next release was an EP containing works written during quarantine. Though Correa stated this to be a demo on Bandcamp, I'd have to say that this EP blows other official albums from bands I've listened to in the past out of the water. All of this has culminated in Correa's latest EP "No Absolutes, Only Extremes". 



"No Absolutes, Only Extremes" has a story centered around space and time travel, but the actual theme of the seven-track EP is internal conflict and constant change. Once again fessing up his love for hardware synthesizers, Correa under the On Interrupt moniker only used those instruments to make this electronic piece. He has also stated that he took inspiration from the likes of Lorn, Jesu, Zombi, and Carpenter Brut for the album. For myself, however, the look into an album begins with the cover art itself. 

The cover art looks like it was meant for a 12" record; the circular inner design is trippy and psychedelic and I had to almost squint to make out the title on it. The red surrounding it is in perfect contrast to the squiggly lines and the artist's name even has a bit of distortion to it. Putting together time travel, space, and quite possibly a mental breakdown with the themes of internal conflict and constant change about, well, I'd say that Correa captured his statements quite well in a visual medium. As per usual, and I do like to state this, the cover art never bears any weight on the score of the review. It is just fun for me to explore.

Anyway, bearing that in mind, I'd like to dive head first into my favorite songs on the album. I'm going to start with 'Nothing World', which started off a bit odd for me. A raw intro uncommon in On Interrupt's works plays out for thirty-five seconds. However, dragging rhythms reminiscent of witch house productions and higher pitched, interstellar notes bang in after the introduction; it turns the song into an absolute sci-fi blast. I am also a fan of the follow-up song 'Heat Death', which takes influence from italo-disco; it is a groovy, disco-space dance track for the future-age. The last track on the album, 'The Holographic Mind', is wonderfully designed with old-school soundtracks in mind. The backing synths weren't exactly what I would call modern in clarity, but had a retro grit to them that made them sound as if they could have been the track in the credits of a film. It has a certain emotion to it, a sadness, like letting go that saw me through to the end. In either case, it's beautiful and well written with a bit of hope intertwined. 

I have to admit that this is an EP where criticisms are hard to come by. Each track on the album is very well made and everyone will pick their favorites in between. For example, 'Fire in the Sky' has a lovely mix of electronic beats and ambient backing with On Interrupt's usual sci-fi brilliance leading it onward. That being said, I don't mind really skipping over the middle of the EP to get to the end. It is not to say that 'Pathway', 'Fire in the Sky', 'It Calls Out', or 'Ad Infinitum' are bad songs, but the songs listed above in the previous paragraphs just outdo them to a point where I find their necessity limited in repeat plays of "No Absolutes, Only Extremes".

"No Absolutes, Only Extremes", then, is a wonderful seven-track output that's well-crafted. Mario Correa wears his influences on his sleeves and the influence that science-fiction as well as 70s and 80s films has had on his career has been apparent since the start of the project. While there is not a bad song to be found on the EP, I would be okay with just having 'Nothing World', 'Heat Death', and 'The Holographic Mind' on my personal playlist without the others. I do believe this is going to be a space odyssey where fans will pick and choose their favorites as I have done, but for only $3 USD, it is well worth your money. "No Absolutes, Only Extremes" is available on Bandcamp for your streaming / purchasing pleasure. 

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Dec 26 2020