ARENTUMINEโs debut album Wasting Time steps into someoneโs diary while the ink is still wet. From the jump, โThe Pact (Intro)โ wraps you in floaty synths that rise like morning fog, then drops in slow, heavy beats that land with intention. Justin Alvarezโs husky, euphoric delivery cuts through that haze like a beam of light, setting the tone for the emotional rollercoaster ahead. You can tell heโs been through the wringer, and heโs not afraid to let you feel it with him.
By the time the self-titled track, โARENTUMINEโ hits, things get grittier as sharp, electrifying synths slice through sugary high ambient layers, creating this intoxicating push-and-pull. His echoing high vocals feel half-drowned in reverb, like heโs singing from somewhere deep underwater, yet somehow high on the sound itself. Itโs a strange, beautiful mixโlike floating and falling at the same time.
Then thereโs the title track, โWasting Time,โ which really feels like the albumโs beating heart. Featuring Eliana Torson, it opens with airy, flowing instrumentation, Alvarezโs voice carrying a tinge of melancholy and that post-heartbreak exhaustion that still somehow aches with love. When Eliana comes in over those glistening piano notes, her cool, relaxed tone brings a clarity that feels almost like redemption. Thenโbamโthe drums hit hard, rolling and the cymbals shimmer, and suddenly theyโre singing together, voices intertwined, echoing, lifting each other up until youโre completely swept away.
What makes Wasting Time stand out is that it feels lived in. Every synth swell, every drum hit, every breath in the vocals carries the weight of six yearsโ worth of ideas, pain, and hope. Check out the fruit of those labors of ARENTUMINE on Spotify.
STAY IN TOUCH:
INSTAGRAM | SPOTIFY | TIKTOK | YOUTUBE
Review by: Naomi Joan