We previously featured Carter Fox as he translated his passion for space into the powerful and immersive single, Cosmic Sunrise and further teased his EP with the expansive and universally inspired, Rise, so when we heard Lost Signals From Outer Space had arrived in full, we couldn’t wait to listen to the record and feed back!
Lost Signals From Outer Space opens with Cosmic Sunrise, enticing us with a sliding guitar and immersive keys, expanding into a trip-hop meets downtempo-hybrid soundscape, with intricate percussion and cosmic detailing, in line with the concept of the song.
The journey of the track is elegant and meditative, with stunning intricacy demonstrating nothing short of instrumental mastery. It also featured Steve Honz on synth, to create a cerebral tapestry that is signature to Carter’s creative style.
Next up is Rise, which opens with tribal drums and vibrant percussion, fused with a tech-house-esque bassline, as well as a panning synth. The composition naturally feels like an ascension with rising elements and an immersive build up.
This brings us to Amy, which kicks off with percussion and an organ with analogue guitar elements, once again showcasing the range that Carter Fox has to offer with his artistry. The song taps into a feel good energy fusing nuances of reggae and folk into this mix. We learn that Amy was actually composed over a decade ago, and recorded in the artist’s college apartment!
We then experience, Calm, which taps into a sense of futurism with a pulsating, high octane, tech vibe, signature risers and a melodic synth. The journey that we are on continues once more, transcending genre, time and space collectively.
We learn that Carter Fox‘s music is inspired by the universe, science, and video games, and hopes to inspire others through his music to “live positively and be good people”. This intention feels very present in his artistry, as his creations lend themselves to awe with a peaceful core. The high hat arrangement in Calm is phenomenal and leads us to a melodic break down and 8-bit style rebuild which adds further dimensionality to the already expansive EP.
Finally, we hear Stampede, which has a Western edge to it with out of this world guitar performances, almost reminding us of Serenity or Firefly. It comes with an epic and mesmerizing music video created using AI, as well as an accompanying short story! We adore the anthemic strings arrangement and the textured drums and tangible drama that ensues!
Overall, the visionary composer and multi-disciplinary artist describes his EP as “chill-fi and experimental electronic release that acts as a brief soundtrack to the universe”, and we couldn’t agree more.
We appreciate the expansive energy of what Carter Fox creates, and how cohesive yet genre-defying his brand is. We have added Cosmic Sunrise and Stampede to our playlists, whilst we continue streaming the EP in full!