Atlas Hacked is a new album from Seattle-based artist, Maki. A lot of releases can be vaguely classified as “avant garde” or “experimental,” but this one truly is. Featuring eerily ambient synths and provocative monologues, the songs make for an enjoyable listen but will also nudge you out of your comfort zone. While some tracks like Are You Normal are vocally driven and deal with the shattering of sacred cows, songs such as Lights Out convey their themes in a more abstract and instrumentally theatrical fashion. The overall pacing is light and meditative, yet offset by a persistent cinematic intensity. One might expect an experimental, artistic project like this to be a Lo-Fi production endeavor, yet the recording quality is highly professional. These mixes are as good as anything you’d hear on a contemporary film soundtrack.

The album does a good job of calling out fakeness in various forms, while leaving things open enough to interpretation that it forces the listener to think about these things for themselves, rather than just soak in the artist’s ideology. This is honestly one of the more creative and interesting releases I’ve heard this year. It communicates its message at its own frequency, and it’s up to you to decide whether to tune in or just chill and enjoy the ambiance. Atlas Hacked is a meditative album for people willing to venture into the less comfortable corners of their mind.

For more info:

http://atlashacked.natalisgroup.com/
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFYgWx92CRq1I9Duo_3GBqA