Passion Pit - Tremendous Sea of Love

Passion Pit
Tremendous Sea of Love
2017
Spotify

Michael Angelekos has never been one to hide his feelings, but on this new record the Passion Pit producer doubles down on the confessions and in doing so really discovers something special. Passion Pit have always been somewhat fun, lighthearted music coupled with lyrics that if really examined mean a whole lot more than you might imagine at a first glance. The first track "Moonbeam" is more of an intro and spills into the six minute epic that is "Somewhere Up There". The song has these glitchy electronics creating this kinda skittery, all cartoon environment that is just a fucking joy to listen to. The big moment comes when the song just drops out halfway through, switches tone yet somehow still remains the same. The sound is still the same with big synths and tons of falsetto, but the feeling behind the record is so much deeper this time really taking you on a journey of discovery. The electronics are really stripped down on this record and instead of serving as the driving force of the record really are only use to bolster Angelekos' lyrics. It's an almost singer songwriter approach to Electropop, if He still lived in a one bedroom this probably would have been recorded in it. When he plays his keyboard and sings "Love is the answer" again and again on "Hey K" you just feel it deep in your soul. He really means what He says and that is such a breath of fresh air in an industry where pandering and following trends almost take over people making truly artistic creations.

The first half of the album flows much better than the second half and is also far more bombastic. "You Have the Right" is Passion Pit's version of a ballad but it sounds to thin and looses some of the weightiness the album has. Tremendous Sea of Love is a really great example of expanding your style without completely changing it. This record is different, but it is still very Passion Pit. The album closes on "For Sondra (It Means the World to Me)" a song for Angelekos' mother. It is evocative and big, one of those songs that gives you chills as it unfolds even without saying a word. It truly is some beautiful stuff. He softly sings towards the end of the song thanking his mom, something that touches all of us in one way or another. Even with all of this Angelekos decided to release the record for free on Twitter further proving for him it has always been about the art rather than the money. It is a drum He's been beating since the beginning, and it is funny that having a stance like this somehow always leads you to bigger and better things rather than the opposite. Tremendous Sea of Love is a fantastic album and one you really should not miss.

8.0 out of 10