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I'll be honest, the first time I heard Kishi Bashi was "I Am the Antichrist to You" from the Planetina Rick and Morty episode. That was so heartbreaking and the song they chose was so good, I had to check it out. So I listened to it in full and have been listening to just that song since, but I've always remained curious about what the rest of Kishi Bashi's music sounds like, and well, I waited too long.

I was immediately engaged with "Intro / Pathos, Pathos", blending orchestral instrumentation with this groovy drum pattern holy it works so well. I'm actually getting some Beatles vibes from "Bright Whites" and I love it. "It All Began With a Burst" is another bop with solid production. "Wonder Woman, Wonder Me" is a softer track with some gorgeous vocal harmonies. Following it is "Chester's Burst Over The Hamptons", and its a burst alright. It's short, energetic, spontaneous, and throws a lot at you at once. It opens and commences with some really staccato vocals and fast drum patterns, but closes with a very intriguing, spacey, ethereal sound. This one is all over the place and it works really really well. "Atticus, In the Desert" also features some really nice vocal harmonies, but ultimately it stems to being pretty poppy in a generic regard, which I'm not too big of a fan of. The production does elevate it above your average corporate garbage though and I can appreciate more what it's offering, but still, not my favourite. Then of course there's the whole reason why I decided to check out this album in the first place: "I Am the Antichrist to You". The beauty of this song is so great I'm genuinely in awe and get chills whenever I listen to it. The evocative vocals, the lush strings, its truly spectacular. I watched a live performance of this song with a full string ensemble on youtube once and it only amplified the experience. This song flawlessly transitions into the closer, "Beat the Bright Out of Me", a song that perfectly encapsulates all of the sounds this album presents throughout its runtime. It's probably the most "ethereal" (really running out of adjectives here) song on the whole album with its longer runtime and more climactic, anthemic characteristics.

The orchestration and song structure is extremely lush, displaying an IMMENSE amount of musical talent and knowledge from Bashi. One thing I will say about this album is that oftentimes it's vocals can border on generic which made certain moments slightly iffy, but redeemable with the fabulous production and good lyrics. Love it.