“Long-awaited” is a gross understatement for Telos, Zedd‘s new album. For 9 years followers have anxiously waited, and the dance music icon made certain it wasn’t in useless.
In contrast to his world hit singles “The Middle” and “Stay,” which dabbled in tried-and-true dance-pop preparations, Telos illuminates a extra analytical facet of Zedd that craves creative expression via surprising mediums.
“Telos has multiple meanings, one of them being ‘accomplishment’ or ‘completion of human art,'” Zedd explains. “‘The end’ is another interpretation of it, and I relate to all of them. I grew up listening to these albums that shaped me as a musician, and I never thought I would be able to create anything as good as those, but as I was completing Telos, I really felt the same emotion I was given by those incredible albums when I grew up.
“I created one thing I did not suppose I used to be able to—it simply took a very long time.”
The Telos tracklist reflects the influence of classical and orchestral compositions on Zedd’s sound, with each song containing the theatrical whimsy that stems from his musical upbringing. It’s an intentional yet unabashed mixture of synth and symphony, resulting in an album that should prove timeless.
Opening up about Telos, he paints a picture of a deeply personal journey of cognitive dissonance, ultimately emerging victorious with regard to his vision.
“What I’ve at all times dreamed of doing is creating an album that I genuinely imagine 30 years from immediately, I’ll look again and be extremely pleased with, that will likely be simply as superb then as it’s proper this second, as a result of it isn’t primarily based on developments,” Zedd says. “It is not primarily based on sound design which may fall off after some time. It is primarily based on music, and so are the albums that I nonetheless to today adore that had been launched 20, 30, 40, and 50 years in the past. [With Telos], I achieved simply that. It simply took a little bit of time to get there.”
Funk holds an indomitable sway over many Telos tracks, with slap-bass performing because the glue that ties collectively their preparations. That strategy gleams all through “Automatic Yes,” a compelling collaboration with John Mayer; and “Out of Time” and “Tangerine Rays,” every of which function a radiant Bea Miller.
The flames of exploration are then starkly stoked with the extreme and worldly interlude “Shanti,” a collaboration with Gray, Zedd’s “Middle” collaborators. The understated “No Gravity” (with Bava) follows in equally penetrating vogue, blasting us from world travels into outer area. Right here, an undertow of tenderness eliminates gravity, leaving soothing bass guitar and delicate vocals to function our solely tether to the bottom.
In an surprising—however fully welcome—pivot, Zedd faucets Irish folks group the olllam for “Sona,” bringing a retro, cinematic twist to Telos. Elsewhere, “Descensus” soars with fiery electrical guitar riffs and dramatic cymbal crashes, main a futuristic cost alongside pop artist Dora Jar.
An plain spotlight of Telos arrives with “Dream Brother,” which samples the late nice musician Jeff Buckley’s tune of the identical title from his celebrated 1994 album Grace. Awash in Zedd’s scintillating manufacturing, the observe churns to a drum beat that resembles the eeriness of a ticking clock counting right down to the unknown.
Closing out Telos, famed rock group Muse joins Zedd for “1685,” a observe that swells with a fierce and theatrical fervor. Clocking at simply over six minutes, the observe sounds as a lullaby may, the mild plunking of notes serving as a reverent reflection on the numerous masterstrokes of the album.
Take heed to Telos under discover the brand new album on streaming platforms right here.
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