Tropics / Parodia Flare

Planet Mu

Tropics is Chris Ward, a British producer and multi-instrumentalist in his early 20s. Since Planet Mu released his first single, Soft Vision, the synth-pop of his early tracks has evolved into a more substantial and personal style. Debut full-length Parodia Flare features Ward as a multi-instrumental auteur, weaving together vintage sounds, Rhodes keyboard, banks of old synths, software and guitars, live drums and electric bass. Tropics is a suitable name for his music, as each song is like a warm analog jungle of sounds, drawn into focus by Ward’s naïve singing voice and knack for lush melodies. “Navajo” sets the scene with ephemeral clouds of reverbed chords, quickly followed by recent single “Mouves,” with its gently sung verses disappearing into floating synths and low-slung New Order-esque bass and soft drums. The album’s title track majestically stretches shimmering keyboard tones and a light guitar over a tight rhythm, gently teasing out the serene atmosphere. “Wear Out” is the morning after, sounding like an exhausted take on late-period Beatles with a loping beat and punch-drunk horns; “Figures,” meanwhile, delicately projects Ward’s whispered vocals onto a chord borrowed from late-’80s Detroit techno. Final track “On the Move” edges toward prime Chicago post-rock but with the Mizell brothers on production, closing the album with a tidy musical mixture.

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