In an industry that contains many clones and copycats, I love trying to discover artists who put their all into sounding unique and unlike anyone else. That’s why I’ve become somewhat engrossed in the world of Hyperpop, because artists in this subgenre sound like they come from a different galaxy let alone a different planet, and they constantly introduce new sounds and inventive styles to the music scene that are unlike anyone else, even in the rapidly growing Hyperpop scene.
Most recently, I was put onto Facer, an artist who might fit into the Hyperpop genre, but he could just as easily be given a subgenre of his own because he breaks boundaries that even the aforementioned style of music can’t contain. Nonetheless, he uses wild vocal effects, electronic-inspired sounds in the instrumental, and infectiously catchy melodies that are as attention-grabbing as they are creative, to say the least.
As his song “Multi-Terrain” begins, we are congratulated by a computer automated voice, commending us on the fact that we are able to listen to this unique track. Although the instrumental seems quite busy, you can hear a few guitar riffs that are coupled alongside crisp, tapping percussion and concise, powerful drums that might sound slightly hectic, but they’re organized in a chaotically neat fashion. As Facer begins to sing, his vocals are pitched up and heavily effected, leading us to an almost robotic-sounding style of singing that is actually quite melodious despite all of the autotune and various other effects.
Beyond this, there is a sense of resilience not only in his lyrics but in the production itself as if to suggest that you should just remain calm and everything is going to end up working out on its own. That comes through loud and clear with the lyrics as well, because although the phrase “You know the drill we got plenty of time. Would you uhh, wanna know everything?” is repeated countlessly throughout, the message is calming and sedative as it is sung in the particular fashion that Facer delivers. As far as the trippy visuals that come alongside this record, it almost appears as if we’re hoisted head-first into what I would imagine an acid trip would be like.
Colors are basically puked out onto the screen as an object that looks like a tree with a face recites the lyrics. As we’re taken on this journey, there are animated cars crashing into walls but snapping back into shape on impact, motorcycles zooming around an illuminated city, a subway making its way through a different world, and a person floating through some sort of wormhole that looks to lead to another dimension. When the song begins to come to a close, the beat simplifies and slows down, leading to a similar effect in the video where the character who was driving around on Saturn’s rings begins to freefall down to Earth, bringing everything back to reality in a very sobering manner.
All in all, this song is a record that is as feel-good as it is energetic. You want to get up and dance just as quickly as you want to smile and do something nice for someone else, in my opinion. Although this is my introduction to Facer, I believe this is the music pseudonym for Glassface, an unbelievable visual artist and video director who I can only assume brought this music video to life in a way that only he could handle. Considering he knew what direction he wanted the song to go in, he definitely understood how to bring it to life visually as well and did an absolutely remarkable job adding a proverbial face to the track. Although this is quite an off the wall offering from Facer, it’s definitely a must-listen, so make sure you check out “Multi-Terrain” as soon as possible.