6.14.19 by Ryan Masteller

So OBVIOUSLY something called “Emotional Indulgence” is going to be suggestive before you even press play, and that’s OK. You’re allowed to have expectations. You’re allowed to have even more expectations when you realize that Emotional Indulgence is the duo of Daniel Hill and Juliana Dieterich, who formerly released music under the moniker Ethereal and the Queer Show (EATQS), whose “Fairy Super Crystal Blue” was received quite well by yours truly once upon a time. In fact, in this case, you SHOULD have expectations – expectations that Hill and Dieterich now going to knock your socks off again, just under that different name.

This beautiful tape traffics in, ahem, “ethereal” pop and delightfully nimble electronics, and it’s no surprise that it’s released on Noumenal Loom, a “sister label” of sorts to our pals at Orange Milk. OM and NL are at the forefront of experimental electronic/pop hybrids, pushing the boundaries of rhythm and melody until they break through IRL frameworks into bitmapped 3D virtual worlds. Emotional Indulgence comes across like a non-vaporwave vaporwave act, with Dieterich’s vocals floating effortlessly above the neo-soul glimmers interpreted and output by computers trying to perfect their AI. What results is true dystopian longing, longing for the equivalent of love that is an absolute mystery. Think Future Islands, but way more subdued maybe, with Julee Cruise on vocals. I hate making comps, but hey, there it is.

These lovely tapes are available in an edition of 100 from Noumenal Loom.