” Long-awaited” is a gross understatement for Telos, Zedd’s new album. Fans have been waiting for nine years, and the dance music icon made sure it was n’t in vain.
Unlike his global hit singles” The Middle” and” Stay”, which dabbled in tried-and-true dance-pop arrangements, Telos illuminates a more analytical side of Zedd that craves artistic expression through unexpected mediums.
” Telos has several meanings, one of them being’ success’ or ‘ completion of individual art,'” Zedd explains.” ‘ The conclusion ‘ is another way to interpret it, and I can relate to each of them. As I grew off listening to these songs that changed the way I became a musician, and I never imagined that I would be able to produce something as outstanding as those, but as I was finishing Telos, I actually felt the same feelings I had when I was growing up listening to those incredible songs.
” I created things I did n’t think I was able of—it just took a long time.”
The Telos tracklist reflects the impact of classic and orchestral music on Zedd’s audio, with each song featuring dramatic whimsy derived from his music upbringing. An album that really show timeless is the result of an intentional yet unwavering fusion of synthesizer and opera.
He paints a portrait of a deeply personal voyage of cognitive dissonance before coming out winning in terms of his vision when he opens up about Telos.
” What I’ve always dreamed of doing is producing an album that I honestly believe will be incredible in 30 years, as it is now,” Zedd says, “because it’s not based on trends.” It’s no based on sound style, which may break after a while. It’s based on music, and so are the songs that I also to this day love that were released 20, 30, 40, and 50 years ago. ]With Telos], I accomplished only that. Just a little bit of time was needed to get there.
Funk holds an irrepressible influence over some Telos paths, with slap-bass acting as the glue that ties up their plans. That strategy gleams throughout” Automatic Yes,” a powerful partnership with John Mayer, and” Out of Time “and” Tangerine Rays, “each of which feature a luminous Bea Miller.
The embers of investigation are therefore starkly stoked with the powerful and worldly break” Shanti,” a partnership with Grey, Zedd’s” Middle” collaborators. The understated” No Gravity” ( with Bava ) follows in similarly penetrating fashion, blasting us from world travels into outer space. Here, a tender undertow of gravity is removed, leaving our single cord to the surface, which is only served by soothing bass guitar and soft vocals.
In an unexpected—but fully welcome—pivot, Zedd presses Irish folk class the olllam for” Sona, “bringing a throwback, visual bend to Telos. With remarkable drum crashes and fiery energy guitar riffs, Descensus” soars,” leading a modern charge alongside roll artist Dora Jar.
An obvious show of Telos arrives with” Dream Brother,” which samples the late great singer Jeff Buckley’s music of the same title from his famous 1994 album Grace. The track churns to a drum beat that sounds eerie and likes a ticking clock that counts down the unknown. Zedd’s scintillating production is awash with the track.
Closing out Telos, famed rock group Muse joins Zedd for” 1685,” a track that swells with a fierce and theatrical fervor. The track, which clocks in at just over six minutes, sounds like a lullaby might, the soft plunking of notes acting as a reverent reflection on the numerous masterstrokes of the album.
Find the new album on streaming platforms here to listen to Telos below.
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