I.M.D – SOL (2026)

[acid being]

I.M.D – SOL

Altar Records |ARDEP112|

1. Sol 05:52
2. Brillo 09:23
3. Danza 08:22
4. Armonía 06:54
5. Sol (Continuous Mix) 30:30

https://imd-music.bandcamp.com/album/sol

 

Whether you call this psychill release a short album or an EP doesn't really matter. The deep, lush, warm pads wash over you as gentle synths pick out melodic patterns and melt into the background. It is a very pleasant and soothing listening experience indeed.

 

1. Sol

We are introduced with an extremely gorgeous and rich pad and lots of delightful birdsong. I don't care how often birdsong gets used in chillout music: the birds were here first and they will always sound fresh even as I tire of just about all genres of human made music! A nice bass comes in and it builds up to a fairly lively drum beat with little bits of melody. Then we get some tastefully done acid lines and it culminates with the beat coming back and  stronger layers of melody.

7.5 / 10

2. Brillo

A whisker more tension exists in the opening pads here with a more epically spacey feel and some trippy tinkley arpeggios. Some high piano notes pick out a melody. The meandering synth that comes into this is really nice and trippy too and a little after 5 minutes we get another layer of acid on top of that. It's all quite yummy.

7.5 / 10

3. Danza

We have a more tribal beat with this one.  I think this is my favorite track. It builds up a really nice rhythm with a great bassline and layers of melody. Quite intricate and conjuring up mazelike patterns inside my brain. It gets gradually stronger as the track progresses. This probably reflects some of Marco Cajero's South American heritage.

9 / 10

4. Armonia

I find this track extra relaxing and mellow but the lead is strong enough to keep it interesting and the sounds are all gorgeous. An addictive melody. It makes me feel really good.

8.5 / 10

 

I have to be honest here and say there is not really anything groundbreaking in most of the arrangements here, apart from track 3. However, where it really does stand out is in the production and the textures and richness of the sounds, and in that regard they are possibly the best I have ever heard, or at least one of. I just listened to my favorite psychill album, RA - Unearthly, before this, and this is not a million miles away in terms of quality and listening pleasure, and I think the pads are better in this.

Another thing I love about this release is how it does more with less. It doesn't rely on a ton of different samples, instruments or any vocals unlike much other psychill, and yet I think it sounds better for it. The sounds it does have are just utterly gorgeous. And it has enough engaging melodies and rhythms to catch your interest unlike a lot of ambient. I wanted to call it minimalist but that isn't really fair as it gets quite layered, it just builds up gradually in a pleasantly relaxed way.

Excellent release! It's a great antidote for you're feeling a bit crappy.

8.5 / 10