Brooklyn-based indie-electronic artist and synth tinkerer Paul Feder recently released his new EP, Never Sleep, merging ambient tones, diverse rhythms, and emotion-laced vocals.
Speaking about the EP, Feder shares, “‘Never Sleep’ contains three songs I wrote in 2021-2022. It was a hectic time both in the world and for me personally and these songs come out of that era. In early 2021 I unearthed my ‘90s Yamaha CS2X keyboard from my parent’s attic and began to play, channeling pandemic anxiety into what would become the title track of the EP. ‘Never Sleep’ is dedicated to my father, Jack Feder, who kept encouraging me to ‘finish the songs!’ when I had trouble letting them go. He passed away in December 2022. I produced the EP in my home studio in Brooklyn, and it was mastered by David Little Mastering.”
Never Sleep follows on the heels of Feder’s previous EP, Nightwalk, described as “a slick piece of Euro-tinged electronica.” Where Nightwalk was flavored with ‘80s pop, Never Sleep reveals a more pragmatic focus.
A lifelong gearhead, Feder’s love for electronic music is firmly rooted in the ‘80s and ‘90s, exhibited in the vintage synth sounds suffusing Never Sleep, a sound at once soothingly nostalgic and reassuring.
Encompassing three tracks, Never Sleep begins with the title track, a song delving into insomnia. The track opens with shimmering colors flowing into an alluring, percolating rhythm topped by oscillating layers of synths. Feder’s dreamy vocals imbue the lyrics with wistful, yearning tones.
Low and emerging, the intro to “Home” smolders with oozing, swirling washes of delicious ambient savors. Almost elegiac, the song floats and drifts, delivering a soundscape simultaneously longing and tender.
The final track, “Wonderful Day,” rides a pulsing rhythm as iridescent synths infuse the melody with pungent sonic hues. The feel and mood of the track convey a multiplicity of emotions – glossy and tantalizing, as well as emblematic of moving toward the culmination of hopes and dreams.
Gliding forth with lush vibrations, Never Sleep evokes tangible memories merged with the imminence of new experiences.