VANISHING ACT 1: NO NOUNS EP - Clarence Clarity: Review
Clarence Clarity
is a British singer and electronic music producer known for his bright, loud and detailed take on electronic music whose rise to fame slightly pre-dated hyperpop's peak in popularity, and occurred alongside frequent collaborator Rina Sawayama's. VANISHING ACT follows his 2019 ambient album Dead Screen Scrolls and his 2018 sophomore record THINK: PIECE.
Review By Lav:
Clarence Clarity is like my grade school crush of music. His exciting brand of experimental electronica completely wowed me on his 2015 debut and his adaptability in the pop music sphere with his 2nd album and work alongside Rina is just as impressive. After he dropped a pretty compelling ambient album last year I had to ask myself if there was anything Clarence couldn't do. I was pretty curious going into this EP if he would continue the trend he started on his 2nd album of taking his sound in a brighter more poppy and straightforward direction, or deep dive back into the insane experimental soundscapes of his debut. Turns out it's both, and also a bunch of other shit. These 5 tracks are an 11 minute whirlwind that I just can't get enough of.
The record kicks off with a 20 second intro before delivering two back to back tracks that have me as excited as anything I've heard this year. Sublord sees Clarence throwing a dash of contemporary hyper pop into his normal style alongside the bright walls of synths mixed in with pitched up vocals and refrains that almost have a pop punk edge to them. It's a shimmering eruption of maximalist sounds that I just can't get enough of. Obsessed is a warbling, freaky electronic banger but Clarence's vocal refrains are so catchy that I honestly think even the most inexperienced of listeners will be able to get with it. His hook perfectly flips from smooth in the first half to a soaring conclusion and the only possible complaint I could have about the song is that I wish it was longer so there was more of it.
The final two tracks aren't quite as exciting but they do features some compelling soundplay and a few more catchy refrains. False Positive is the song that sounds the most like it could belong on Clarence's last record. It's primarily a pop song but with an eclectic electronic flair in the instrumental. There's also a supersaw bridge that's similar to something from A.G. Cook's 7G from last year but Clarence follows it up with an electric guitar solo of all things. It's fun and refuses intently to settle down. Finally It Is Happening Again is the EP's most reserved track with a pretty simple sonic palette primarily driven by the tattering percussion and the occasional bass breakdown. The hook starts off more subtle but sort of erupts on the back end with these smattering synth lines that rush into the background. A lot is done to make the track seem a bit more human and emotional than the others and I think it works even if I'm not as in love with the song itself.
This EP kicks ass, there isn't really much else I need to say about it. It's a short but bright, versatile and incredibly memorable collection of tracks that only further confirms what we already knew about how talented Clarence is. If this really is Act 1 of an upcoming series, it is already one of my most highly anticipated releases in the entire wide world of music because VANISHING ACT rules. 8.5/10
