The Introvert is the sobriquet under which Jeremy Galindo decided to break away from the beaten path to explore new territories with their debut album – Carry The Bomb, Carry The Power!
It goes without saying that the music of Jeremy Galindo (be sure to take part of our interview as well!), or more specifically This Will Destroy You, has had a profound impact on my life, with their take incredibly evocative take on instrumental rock, comprising equal parts astonishing beauty and vast attritive powers, so when Jeremy announced this solo project, my imagination ran wild, to say the least. Post-rock is a genre filled with exceptionally talented solo musicians already, so he could’ve easily ventured down this avenue seeing how they helped shape it into what it is today.
On the other hand, he could’ve also delved deeper into the more esoteric side of drone and noise, which is also a vital part of their music. Or perhaps he had some singer-songwriter itch that needed scratching? There is no end to the possibilities! I’ll admit I had pretty huge expectations, but none of them could’ve possibly prepared me for the reality of this album, and this is where we part ways with any references or comparisons to the band as they won’t make any kind of sense.
While I only spent the first 4 years of my life in the ‘80s, the instrumental intro feels like a Vangelis’esque opening credits scene from that decade. Imagine the original motion picture soundtracks of Chariots of Fire (1981) and Blade Runner (1982) and you’ll get a pretty good idea of what to expect. Ethereal synthesizer melodies, laced with a warm neon glow and cassette futurism aesthetic, basically. A few of the tracks on this album also embrace some considerably more upbeat Cocteau Twins-like pop sensibilities, with similar vocal effects, like they’ve been covered by a blanket of CRT TV static.
Speaking of vocal effects – Do you know what else I feel is intrinsically linked with the ‘80s? The vocoder, which on this record acts as a tether to keep you in place in the space-time continuum, without ever feeling overpowering. It’s there, but not front and center, which often was the case back then. While I’m definitely feeling nostalgic listening to this, there’s still a modern twist on everything, both in terms of compositions and the fidelity of the sound. It doesn’t sound emulated, even if there’s a sense of lo-fi at times, so I believe it doesn’t only cater to generation x or millennials like myself, especially considering the rise of retrofuturistic synthwave in recent years.
So – To summarize: Through a fusion of the best synthesizer-based motion picture soundtracks of the ’80s, contemporary retrowave, and glo-fi elements, Jeremy Galindo, a.k.a The Introvert, paints a truly vibrant and wistful sonic pastiche of everything that decade was and everything it could’ve been, without ever feeling dated, imitated, or out of place. If the sound of an amalgamation of Vangelis, A.R Kane, Jean-Michel Jarre, and Cocteau Twins, mixed in with some more contemporary artists like M83 and Imogen Heap tickles your fancy, I can’t recommend this album enough.
Rest in Peace
Vangelis
March 29, 1943 – May 17, 2022
