- LA's house scene is in better shape than it's been in a long time. It can't hurt that a lot of the city's best artists reflect its permanently sunny skies, and that includes the Cosmic Kids, AKA Ron Poznansky and Dan Terndrup. They've been plugging away for years—you might recognize them from EPs on Throne Of Blood and Let's Play House—and this solo 12-inch from Terndrup for local label Young Adults is the best thing they've done. A precocious and occasionally beautiful record that's heavy on classic synth sounds, Tetrachromat is like a sun-drenched landscape made of astroturf and artificial plants.
Tetrachromat is bouncy and lightweight. The best example is "Planetisemal," with its grand chord progression playing like a plastic orchestra accompanying a disco rhythm. All blue-sky pads, swirling synths and cheeky cowbells, the track is sweet enough to rot your teeth yet totally addictive. The title cut is nearly as seductive, albeit in a different way. Terndrup's workaday rhythm provides a canvas for all sorts of melodic doodling, from meandering basslines to brief vocal snippets that ghost by on the cool breeze.
The jaunty "Mission Hill Morning" might be the most smiley, with an ecstatic flute motif and soft electric piano almost pushing it over the edge of good taste. "Laced" and "The Sun & The Sky" take things to a reflective place marked by minor chords and gently plucked acoustic guitar. The EP is rounded off with "Akoussah," the odd one out thanks to its reliance on a dominant vocal sample in the first half. But with an ecstatic outro that dips its toes in acid-flecked techno (with killer, quick-fingered synth adlibs), it's every bit as joyous as the rest.
TracklistA1 Mission Hill Morning
A2 Tetrachromat
A3 Planetesimal
B1 Laced
B2 Akoussah
B3 The Sun & The Sky