EPSON and CHANNEL SELECT - SEE U TOMORROW ALBUM REVIEW

 

8.7/10

"SEE U TOMORROW" is one of the most passionate and vivid performances we've seen in VHS Pop this year.

I'm aware that in my previous article, I said that there wouldn't be any more reviews until 2021 - but going into it I was certain I'd regret missing out on reviewing it, so... here we are.

"SEE U TOMORROW" is the newest release from vaporwave artists EPSON and channel select. 

The duo first collaborated on the phenomenal 2018 album "SAW U LAST NITE", which has gone on to be a definite personal favourite of mine - EPSON's side was relaxing yet danceable, with songs like "MOONSIDE" feeling like you're chilling outside of a midnight party, and channel select's side being much more lo-fi and upbeat. Despite both their sides being very different, they still worked extremely well together - and that brings us to their second collaborative effort, "SEE U TOMORROW".

When I first heard about this album being in the works, I was definitely excited - and now that I'm finally hearing it, I think it's safe to say that it pretty much fully lived up to the hype.

The album kicks off with channel select's side, with the first song here being "GOTCHA". I really like the sample here and I think it works as a good tone-setter for the album. Not much more to say about it, other than that I think it's a pretty good way to start things off.

After this we have "DRIVE WAY" which is definitely one of my favourites here. I love the vocals here, and how they're chopped up. The bass groove and the drums here are also very danceable and fun.

"COMEONHOME" is another great song from channel select's side. The vocal manipulations here are hypnotic and it's just a beautiful song. Definitely one of the most feel-good songs here and I could easily see this one being on repeat for a lot of people. It is a little repetitive though, but that's about it.

Then we have "CORNER", which is probably my favourite song from channel select's side - this song is catchy, it's upbeat, and it's trippy. This song will definitely get you tapping your feet as it did for me as soon as I first heard it.

After this is "HOLDON2" which I'm not too crazy about. I do like the sample here with the spoken word stuff but if anything it feels like an extended interlude track - I would have loved to see this track be developed a little more to make it stand out a bit better.

"WALKIN" closes off channel select's side - this song's sample is actually shared with luxury elite's song "CRUISING" off of Late Night Delight, which I wasn't expecting at all but I think that the way channel select handled the original song here is great, with the sample flip being very unique. This song is pretty danceable (I've been trying to not use that word, does anyone have a good synonym?), and it was really cool hearing the source material's vocals, too. Definitely a favourite from the album.

And with that, we get to EPSON's side!

Their side kicks off with "ECCOFORCE" which I think is a great way to start off his side of the album - this song feels like watching a sunset on the beach - the warm bass groove and pretty melody makes for a fantastically enjoyable song.

We also have "HIT HIT" which I do enjoy for the most part, but it feels kind of seasick and wobbly - this is present on a few of EPSON's tracks here, where some of the songs feel quite detuned. It personally doesn't bother me too much but I feel like it should be dialed back a little.

Outside of that though, this is still a pretty good song. EPSON's side here is filled with hard-hitting drums that punch right through your speakers, and that's always really nice to hear. I love the synths here and the guitar is very nice, too.

Up next is "PAINTED" which is another great song from EPSON's side. It feels like something right out of some 80s crime drama. The saxophone here is fantastic. It definitely gives me some classic vapor vibes, harkening back to albums like luxury elite's "blind date" or even "Floral Shoppe" by Macintosh Plus.

"OH YEAH" is probably my least favourite track here. This is what I was talking about earlier, with the detuned samples. I think the detuning should have been dialed back a lot here, and the song is pretty repetitive too. I do think the sample sounds very nice though, I just wish the seasick feeling wasn't that intense here, honestly.

"IDENT" is a song that has similar sample detuning, but I actually think it works pretty well here! It adds a lot to the song's weird atmosphere - it feels like hold music for a soulless company... that's a compliment. I really enjoy this song, but it's a little hard to explain. It's a fun yet surreal track, and one of the shorter ones here too.

"BLOOM" is the second-to-last track here, and it's one of my personal favourites. The melody and chopped up vocals here are gorgeous, and the drums are great too. It's a dreamy and joyous track.

We close things off with what's in my opinion the best song here, 

"WHY". This song is pretty ambitious - it goes for six minutes which is pretty long for a vaporwave track, but throughout that time I never got bored in the slightest. I absolutely adore the melody here, and the drums are hard-hitting as hell, too. I feel like this would be a great song to stargaze to (if I could properly see the stars where I live at least). Absolutely unforgettable track, which does a great job of closing off the album.

So that was my thoughts on "SEE U TOMORROW". This is definitely one of my favourite vaporwave albums this year - there's a lot of enjoyment to be had here. There is some room for improvement here and there, but this is definitely one of the most passionate and well-executed vaporwave performances we've seen this year, and I strongly recommend it.

Annnnnnd now back to writing the year-end list. Sorry for the delay, I just really wanted to talk about this one.

8.7/10

Fav Tracks: DRIVE WAY, COMEONHOME, CORNER, WALKIN, ECCOFORCE, HIT HIT, PAINTED, IDENT, BLOOM, WHY

Least Fav Track: OH YEAH