Suncastle's Seventh album on Triplicate is called "Platformer". and we're thrilled to share it with you. Platformer is full of energy and life, and that's exactly what we need right now. Amidst the worldwide pandemic and economic uncertainty, George Evans (Suncastle) is prolific as ever, finely tuning his special brand of electronica. Keep an eye on his Bandcamp page for new music posted regularly.
suncastle303.bandcamp.com

~Michael Southard - Triplicate Records

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Platformer is the first album I've made in a long time that had me in a good mood. Hopefully that comes across. There's a definite sense of buoyancy pervading most of the tunes, which switch gleefully between mellow wallowing and hyperactivity. It's forty minutes of weird fun, have at it.

~George Evans (Suncastle)

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Suncastle - PLATFORMER

The ideas keep coming, and George Evans seems as invigorated and excited as ever on his follow up to the release of his amazingly eclectic album, Nah, from January of this year. Platformer seems intent on highlighting the wonderful percussive aspects of the Suncastle arsenal of sounds. A great attention to detail went into each of the track’s rhythmic skeletal systems, all leading to fascinating results.

Opening up with the lovely lo-fi dream world of ‘Moonlight Tower’, we are pulled inside after some tasty EQ maneuverings, as calculating arps wrap their fingers around your head , pulling you into a world of sunny-day psychedelia and electronic melodicism which is synchronized and steadfast, anchored by sequenced bass notes and Interesting dissonant backwashes of sound. Although the percussion is understated, it is designed to allow the listener to sink back under the surface from where it originally emerged.

Variant takes us, with its slow, growling statement very quickly into ‘Bergschrund’, a collaborative effort with Supply Fi. Opens with languid keys and a strong groove, as tape effects and warm keys take over, and the increasingly sharpened fidelity of this neon-hued, cracked-prism electro jaunt. Coming from some other world altogether, a horn-like synth makes itself known. And as if laying down the blueprint for a lo-fi psychedelic manifesto we are taken into ‘Ghost in Trees’. A broken beat littered with atmospherics…plentiful keys and field recordings with a lovely chordal flow. Leaving you in a place of wonder and bemusement. Exploratory drum programming moves the music in unusual ways, suggesting a darker side lies underneath all the sunshine and rainbows.

‘New Age Retro Plasma (feat Simon Walklate)’ Bubbles inward as synth arps lead into the light. Suncastle’s sounds are constructed and executed with a true stylistic charm. Evans is a master at using EQ as almost another instrument, and this is a great example, witch each subsequent element intertwining with each other in mathematical precision.

‘Hy Brasil’ introduces at steady dance groove which then opens up into a looping swell. Great melodies filter through, transforming and weaving their way around the track like tentacles. ‘Fading Fauna’ could be written for some abstract time-lapse video. That ever-present wash of texture is a masterful touch. The use of different synth ideas and frequencies is an integral part of Suncastle’s sound. Much thought has gone into each sound and how it works as a character in these worlds he’s created.

Pure electro bliss emerges from ‘Gipusofi”. A mesmirizing bass synth bass, backed up with a steady computer drum pace, sets the stage from some great piano bits which fall into place as other elements continue to move. The distinct minimalistic vibe is well suited.

The amazing ‘Awaken Elsewhere’ displays some lovely bass lines which work so well against the machine-like rhythm and adorning keys. Another somewhat minimal vantage point on this one, yet an evolving piece, which builds in wonderful ways as each new sound adds to the mix . There seems to always be a sly smile behind the music that makes this album such a fun listening experience. ‘Awaken’ stretches out a bit and in doing so, offers a soaring, massively entertaining romp. Platformer closes with the chopped glitch swagger of ‘Slink Away’, a beat heavy tune with descending chromatic tones and well placed percussion work. Platformer is another throughly enjoyable and joyous excursion into the mind of a true electronic explorer. This album is pure machine soul.

~Belial Pelegrim