I am fully convinced that it takes a truly tasteful musician to pull off a disorienting, downtempo lo-fi sound. This tasteful disorientation seems to be second nature to Ex-Pat, Buffalo’s two-man dream pop act. Frontman Patrick Weil has found a comfortable home within this unique realm of music and showcases it perfectly on his new release, AM 1400.
In the same vein as Elvis Depressedly or Salvia Plath, Weil explores astral guitar tones, time-worn synths and hazy, almost indiscernable vocal lines. Even still, there is enough accessibility to it to have it settle in around you slowly and hang warmly in your surroundings.
At only four songs in length, you’d think this collection of tunes would be a cinch to get through but it really isn’t, and not at all in a bad way. It radiates this sensation of time crawling, which gives the listener space to really mull over the textures of each song. There’s a leisureliness to it that allows you to get completely enveloped by either the music or whatever introspective thought the music has inspired.
I am definitely looking forward to cool things from Ex-Pat in the near future and highly recommend AM 1400 in the meantime. The album is available for a listen and free download below.