I was first introduced to Metavari as a post rock band (by a friend of mine who later joined the line up). They played the same intricate, introspective instrumental music as bands like Collection of Colonies of Bees, Do Make Say Think, and The Album Leaf.

And when my band was booked alongside them for analecta‘s album release show,  that’s what we went in expecting. But somewhere along the road, bandleader Nate Utesch transitioned the project into a dreamy synth pop. Yet when paired with their post rock sensibilities, they created something incredibly special.

Moonless is masterpiece of mood and texture. The opener, “Heavy Love” works as an overture of sorts, introducing all of the elements that make up the album as a whole.  Retro synths dance around immaculately programmed drum machines, vocoders, and wailing synthesizers.

The album rolls on like a  journey through some digital world. It plays like the soundtrack to some forgotten 80s cult classic, weaving abstract narratives that move throughout the tracks. That seems to be the point, since one of the tracks here is called “Theme From Moonless.” This aesthetic is only supported by the fact that Metavari wrote their own original score to the silent classic Metropolis. 

Even without a visual element to accompany it, you can almost see the scenes unfold. You have the dreampoppy love theme (“Irresistible“), the emotional late-night contemplation montage (“See Again“), and a few vaporwave chase scenes (“Be Free (Tonight),” “Awake As One“). While their ambient and texture work does enough to make this really solid synthpop, its the narrative songwriting from their post rock roots that makes this record stand out.