‘We Become Mist’ comes from Heliochrysum (Michael Deragon and Daniel Lea), whose sci-fi soundscapes feature dazzling behemoths and synth-strengthened structures of intelligent design. Based in LA, the duo use analogue and digital methods to open up portals of futuristic sound. Their cinematic music transports listeners to new worlds amidst the expanse of space. With an astounding textural depth, these immersive soundscapes are at times lush and spacious, with the entirety of the cosmos to explore.
Heliochrysum’s music feels alien in its geography and construct. Dark, strobing synths layer the music and dense clouds hover in the atmosphere. From time to time, the music is on high alert, but it’s always inquisitive to new discoveries, and it never takes a step backwards. Other sounds are on the grimmer side of the synth spectrum, and edge towards industrial tones. Laser-sharp and tracing a stinging line through everything it touches, the synths are able to either cut deep incisions into the mix or shower the harmony in a melodic spray of neon. The unknowable future hangs overhead like the Grim Reaper, a permanent fixture, seemingly switching between benevolence and a creeping malevolence amid its set of stars, which hide unclear intentions.
?The sci-fi soundscapes are complex-yet-accessible. As the synths develop, they roil around in the ether like star-lit tentacles, sometimes trapped in a series of upheavals and violence, and at other times forming a gentle arc. No matter the kind of motion or the improvisation on offer, it’s still possible to follow noticeable patterns within its sound. Rhythms are forged as melodies are formed, and a continuous progression can be felt at all times; the listener is always in motion, always travelling.
Heliochrysum is Latin for sunflower, and the music is a life-giver, no matter how strange or turbulent it may appear; things are in gestation, things are being given new life. In its sentient Universe, on another planet, the sun still shines through and appears in the sky, even though its light is weak, gleaming with strange alien tints. With the final track, We Became Mist turns into We Became Matter, highlighting the progression of the Universe and heralding the arrival of a new lifeform.