ALBUM REVIEW: Reality Distortion - Ceasefire
Photo by Kiki Vassilakis
“The combination of their vocals creates an extremely ethereal feeling. What’s more, the lyrics are gripping and haunting.”
It’s not every day one comes across a band that is made up of a brother and sister. The familial dynamics behind such a pairing have the potential to be complicated, but that isn’t the case for Reality Distortion, the dream-pop electronic outfit of Saratoga’s Devon and Linnea Seegers.
On August 7, the band released their debut EP, Ceasefire, and while it is short in length, the five-song record is imbued with sonic textures that seemingly stretch for miles.
Opening with the title track, Devon and Linnea quickly establish the vibe of the record. Electronic drum programming serves as a bedrock for enticing synths. The combination of their vocals creates an extremely ethereal feeling. What’s more, the lyrics are gripping and haunting. Near the end of the tune, there is a drop in the music, making the re-emerging chorus glimmer with a sense of urgent triumph.
“I join the ranks of the ones out preaching for peace / I join the ranks of the ones trying to cure this disease.”
This sense of duty to society is mirrored in track three, “Speak Now.” In this tune, the pulsating rhythm is blended very well in the mix, and the relentless nature of the instrumentation matches the tone of the lyrics. There are some great fuzz effects used on guitar during the latter half of the song; it is vaguely reminiscent of some of the great garage rock acts of the early 2000s.
Matching the tone of the lyric with the drive of the instrumentation is a rule that can be broken. The Seegers prove this with “Legacy,” track two.
In this song, the drums fight a languid melody. There are times where it feels like the drums are trying to take off into the stratosphere while the sparse nature of the melody on top, combined with thought-provoking lyrics, firmly grounds the song. Much like “Speak Now,” the guitar part in this track has a way of tickling the ears of this particular author.
The shortness of this record makes any sudden change in genre jarring. This is certainly the case with “Renaissance,” track four. On a longer record, there is more room to ebb and flow, but such a dramatic tonal and stylistic shift on an EP can really shake things up for the listener.
Nevertheless, “Renaissance,” mostly acoustic in its instrumentation, does anything but fall flat. Perhaps the most ambitious track in the collection, “Renaissance” combines the vocals of people across the globe in Colombia, India, Mexico, Hawaii, and even a few from right here in the Capital Region.
“Let's call it a renaissance / Not a revolution / Create what we really want, really want…”
This huge endeavor might be overshadowed by the bombastic-sounding instrumentation on the other tracks, but it should not be overlooked by any means.
The aptly titled “Outro” functions as the EP’s closer. It is a chaotic ending to a record filled with intense production choices. The callback to “Speak Now” with this track’s lyrics is a nice touch.
Marked as a release that features “songs of peace, protest and possibility,” the liner notes help explain the ethos behind Reality Distortion. It is not surprising — especially after hearing these songs — that the duo has been seeing their hard work pay off.
Recently, they filmed a segment for WNYT’s Local Artist Spotlight; traction is surely growing for this brother-sister duo. It will be exciting to see what is in store for them.
To hear the EP, please click here.
