Caratacus turns a gloriously odd idea into something strangely moving on Church, an instrumental electronic concept album that follows a cat wandering through a spacecraft, quietly observing the chaos around him. It sounds bizarre on paper, sure, but once the music kicks in, the whole thing clicks into place like a neon-lit sci-fi daydream. Created entirely by Caratacus in a bedroom apartment studio during sleepless late nights, the album comes off immersive, eccentric, nostalgic, and packed to the rafters with personality.
Drawing influence from the atmospheric unease of films like Alien, Moon, and Star Trek, while borrowing sonic DNA from DJ Shadow, King Crimson, Gorillaz, and video game soundtracks, Church thrives on texture and mood instead of words. Caratacus treats synths, oscillators, static hums, and electronic pulses like storytelling devices.
“Rat Catcher” opens the journey with shimmering rhythms that pulse indifferently before buzzing synths and thick beats begin piling up on each other. The track slowly mutates into something hypnotic, with churning electronics and layered grooves colliding like machinery coming alive aboard a drifting vessel. Then comes “Church,” the heart of the record, glowing with glimmering melodies and playful pulsation. The beats hop forward with joyful momentum, constantly shifting between childlike curiosity and cinematic wonder, almost as if the cat himself is darting between corridors, inspecting every blinking light.
Meanwhile, “Hours Wasted Lovingly” strips things back into warm, floating calm. Its sparkling cymbals and breezy rhythms radiate what can only be described as peaceful ordinary happiness — the beauty of uneventful moments. Later, “Reactor Chamber (I Lurk For You)” dives into darker territory, speaking in the language of old monster movies while carrying an undercurrent of longing and heartbreak beneath its ominous electronic atmosphere.
At the end of the day, Church is weird, heartfelt, and wildly imaginative. Check it out on Spotify.
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Review by: Naomi Joan