Establishing the mood with a cosmic ripple and immersive, meditative synths featuring astral textures and soft percussion, appetiteapple opens Gratitudes with a track called Dark Before Dawn. The opus expands with choral synths and cinematic elegance which taps into celestial notions and trip-hop sensibilities. Overall, the composition feels warm and healing, intricate and yet full of dimensionality.
This leads us to Hello To Strangers, which immediately opens with a 60s, psychedelic edge that fans of William Orbit would be able to connect with. The piece is dynamic and simultaneously hypnotic, we could imagine this being featured in a film like Trainspotting or The Beach.
Nightshift evokes a more nocturnal frequency, in line with the title of the track. What we notice the most is the repeated elements that cement the core sound of each track. With Nightshift, we experience a more ethereal essence. The cosmic motifs here are sublime, and whimsical, reminding us of the moment when Glinda and Elphaba arrive in the city of Oz.
Next up is Matter Of Decision, which opens with a whirring bassline, and creates more drama and deeper tones, perfect for a TV show like The Day of the Jackal. We connect with the brooding motifs, and the production that reminds us of Portishead and Massive Attack. appetiteapple says, “Matter Of Decision mentions some cool actions. Like the man of the will, listeners will think about the strong person or becoming the stronger one by the mood of the tracks.”
Tensions is another trippy and psychedelic experience, manifesting with a kaleidoscopic energy. We love the slurred nuances and the subtle tempo shifts. The track feels like stepping into another dimension, it would be perfect in an episode of Nine Perfect Strangers where more otherworldly experiences take place. The fusion of piano with choral vocal synths give the track a spiritual energy. On this release, appetiteapple tells us, “Hello To Strangers makes to think about the top of green hill which someone can see the town or village nearby, the person knows that someone is waiting for him/her. It is running until the end to say hello to strangers with strange delight.”
This brings us to Beautiful World which is uptempo yet transcendental. The ethereal production and cohesive tapestry of sound manifest in a poetic way, fused with the piano arpeggios which are grounding in their essence. This feels like a scene from a David Attenborough documentary where we experience the world and are overwhelmed by emotion.
Landscapes has a more classical feel almost like a waltz with a slight 8-bit energy akin to a video game. Speaking on the release, appetiteapple confesses, “The album was about my personal story when I say thank you for the people I met during the past times. I had my own times to get this idea for my own and made the album because it is great to recognize myself from the musical interests. It was hard to say thank you when I was young, especially when I was in the school. My teacher told me to say that’s okay and thank you for the people who I meet, and I have been practicing for several decades for the job. Many times later, when I became a man, I was able to speak all of my words including thank you for my own musical purposes. This is great to revise how I became grown up and get some blessings by saying thank you from the people.”
With this context in mind, we deeply understand how the album is coming to life. It is further magnified by the more emotional presence of tracks like Soothe, which taps into a more melancholic energy, but with an undeniable cinematic allure and could easily be featured in a future James Bond 007 film. The trip-hop drums are a definite stand out here, reminding us of Sneaker Pimps.
Monuments has an epic energy with a more cerebral edge tapping into futuristic notions, perfect for the score of a movie like Drive, and something that fans of MGMT, Kavinsky, and Tame Impala would vibe with. The River feels like an 8-bit flow of water, like a river in a video game dimension, whilst Accomplishment feels like a euphoric celebration. Each title really resonates on an onomatopoeic level with the soundscape of each track.
Then we experience The World Turn Around, which harks back to the more psychedelic, Ray of Light notions of the album, and even includes a vocal delivery of the title of the track like a mantra before we experience poetic prowess from the artist. Finally, we experience Afternoon which feels like a blissful, almost vintage and cerebral conclusion to the record. There is a sense of peace and catharsis here, perfect for listening poolside on the roof of Petit Ermitage in West Hollywood where tracks like this often find their home.
Overall, Gratitudes feels like a very personal album. It moves between psychedelic, electronica, trip-hop, classical and ambient sounds, but still feels cohesive as a whole. Each song seems to capture a different memory, feeling or part of appetiteapple’s personal journey. There is a real sense of reflection and growth throughout the record.