Active Child Hanging On

Spoiler alert: this blogger is not that cool. I like magic, sci-fi, and especially anything with mythical creatures. I used to steal fantasy books from my father as a child and hide under my bed for a personal read-a-thon. "Why the personal revelation?" I'm sure you're asking. Pat Grossi's (aka Active Child) new release You Are All I See has besotted my nerdy heart strings, sounding like a choir of fairy dust floating onto a acid-enhanced knoll of magical passion.

Threads of comforting chillwave can be found throughout the album, but Active Child sprinkles a cacophony of intense melodies and lyrics with just the right placement to give the album it's own multi-faceted, recognizable identity.

Title track "You Are All I See" opens up the exposed wound of an LP, harps playfully frolicking about with Grossi's impassioned vocals pairing with perfectly balanced harmonies.

The second track, "Hanging On," is incredible and a personal fave. A melody reminiscent of Four Tet's "Circling" spirals under poetic genius ("Touch me and then turn away/Put your hands into the flame/Tell me if you feel this pain/'Cause I don't want to be a ball and chain"). How To Dress Well's lo-fi R&B sound collaborates with Active Child on "Playing House" as a seriously appreciated bonus to an already memorable experience.

You Are All I See is parallel to a most exquisite soufflé -- delicate, delicious, precisely manipulated. You know if Grossi had changed but one action, one ingredient, that it would have fallen. As is, the LP a symphonic masterpiece, always to be imitated but never exactly replicated. The 10 track LP will be released August 23 on Vagrant Records, but you can get a free download of "Hanging On" here, amongst others.

Active Child is currently on tour throughout the states until the end of September, with Chad Valley and Com Truise depending on location. For dates and locations plus more Active Child, check out his official site here.