Sam Ray’s newest release, Talk To You Soon, fits squarely in with the rest of his discography as Ricky Eat Acid, which faces the experimental side of electronica. In my experience, this genre can either lead one into enlightenment or fall very short as a self indulgent mess, with nothing really existing in the middle. Ricky Eat Acid undoubtedly exudes wisdom, yet never until now have any of his records felt so fresh. I consider Talk To You Soon one of the best of the year because it is unexpected; there are very few straightforward compositions among the tracklist.
Most Ricky Eat Acid tapes are characterized by pleasant disorder; however, also present this time around is an ironic cohesion. His characteristic industrial melodies are softened with strings and sunshine, each varying on a scale of heart wrenching to hopeful. Certain tracks boldly buck and jolt, as on “Nice To See You” and “Call My Name,” while others create pastel hazes with air horns and auto tuned vocals, but make no mistake: the harsh differences between the tracks are what connect them.
Vague lyrics feel like voice memos paired with drum machines, but even they can feel profound once you appreciate the context. The repetition of “Fucking To Songs On Radios” turns the line into an intangible idea, which evolves each time it catches the synth’s high note. And despite how crass it seems on the surface, I value it as the most impactful of those sixteen tracks, implying an aloof sexiness, welcoming the spontaneity and not wasting energy on specific expectations.
Unlike other experimental records that didn’t make my top ten this year, Talk To You Soon is a record I enjoy revisiting. I find myself yearning to re-inhabit the spaces that this music stimulated, and trying to sustain that feeling permanently. Alas, emotion is fleeting but I can always count on nostalgia to pull me back.
Sawdust & Gin 