After the 2011 release of
Galactic Melt, Seth Haley compiled previously unreleased
Com Truise material for
In Decay, broadened his résumé of remix work, and contributed to the Adult Swim Singles Program. His half-hour
Wave 1 EP supplies more of the robust, wide-eyed synth pop/funk for which he has been known, albeit with a few slight tweaks. It leads with "Wasat," a too-brief sliver of an introduction at two minutes, which nonetheless leaves an instant and lasting impression. "Mind" jitters and careens with delightfully flickering melodies but is relatively uneventful compared to "Declination," where Joel Ford (of
Ford & Lopatin) drops in with his best impression of super-sweet
Cupid & Psyche 85-era Green Gartside. "Subsonic" skillfully juggles alluring downcast tones and creeping nervous tension. The edginess carries through the occasionally frantic and jumbled-up percussion within "Valis Called (Control)" and "Miserere Mei." The title track, which ends the program, begins like a closing theme but, like a restless younger sibling to Sam Grawe/
Hatchback, Haley throws in some peppy and zipping synthesizer lines that dart throughout clustered percussion. ~ Andy Kellman