RAC - Ego

RAC
Ego
2017
Spotify

RAC is one of those artists who people are always clamoring to see what is coming next from them. He always has something interesting going on like a completely improvised DJ set or producing for some of electropop's greatest. "Fever" the albums opener sets a very different tone than what we have heard from RAC in the past. It is ambitious with a huge orchestral opening and sort of forrest ambient close. The song itself is light dancey electronic, but it feels bigger and more dynamic surrounding you with music. Single "I Still Wanna Know" has Rivers Cuomo on vocals and Rivers could not sound more out of touch if he tried. The song sounds a hell of a lot like the new Weezer who everyone hates despite the signature guitar solo throw in at the end of the song. Ego is a decided shift in RAC's style bringing in a much more analogue feel. Though all the songs have their own distinct feel He is able to really make the album flow nicely. "Unusual" with MNDR handling the vocal duties really sticks out as just a sort of pandering mess. If you couldn't guess from the title, the song is about feeling empowered to be yourself regardless of how "unusual", get it? It is saved by the fantastic "This Song" sung by Rostam which has this really wonderful message about remembered love.

If you follow RAC at all you'll learn that he is a total gear head with synth upon synth. This comes through on the album with these super lush tones and sounds that we've really never heard before. His style is so distinct you just know it's an RAC song right when you hear it which actually makes the choice to have different vocalists a shrewd one so you aren't overwhelmed with to much of the same thing over and over. St. Lucia's Jean and Patti bring a really fun sweetness to "The Beautiful Game" it is just the right amount of cute without being clawing. "Johnny Cash" is one of the funkier numbers on the record. Some of the transitions between songs can feel a bit overdone. The chopped up vocal lines on "Be" is a welcome flourish late in the record. "Heavy" is this sort of folk electropop mashup that is ok but really takes far to long to get going. It is a solid album but with far less transcendent moments than his previous record Strangers. HOwever with a sound this nice it will be hard to not come back to these songs over and over again.

8.0 out of 10