Acyan’s new EP “Ghost Town” is a welcome breath of hauntingly fresh air in a musical age full of releases made to go viral. The five-track project, which is out now via Wubaholics, sounds like the ghostly places that inspired it. It growls and groans.
One thing that makes Ghost Town stand out is how honest it is. As a bus driver in Fort Collins by day, Acyan has an air of mystery about him that isn’t fake. He brings a rare depth of purpose. While most people would just settle for dirty beats and call it a day, he used a solo road trip through rural America to shape his story.
Ghost Town is a post-industrial tone poem told through trap beats that is both creepy and interesting. The first song, “RAVEN,” sets the mood with a frantic, suffocating energy that makes you feel like you’re being followed by something bad. But it’s still strangely danceable; it’s a tightly wound track that shows Acyan as both a technician and a narrator.
The next song, “KEOTA,” has more grit, unease, and cleverness, with sound design that shows how Acyan is feeling emotionally. A change in speed in the second drop gives it a unique feel, as if the track were avoiding ghosts. Each part sounds like it was made in a scary lab, but the emotional power of the track keeps it going in a way that no amount of technical know-how could.
When we get to “URAVAN,” the last song on the EP, the mood changes. It’s not quite happiness, but it’s like seeing the sun rise over an empty landscape. It’s lighter and more quietly triumphant than the other songs on the EP, and it’s a welcome break from the existential worry that came before it.
Skrillex and RL Grime have backed Acyan, and his popularity is rising quickly thanks to shows at well-known festivals. He is quickly becoming a major force in bass music. While Ghost Town sounds like a message sent from the edge of loneliness, its unique sound and depth are sure to bring people together.
