A beautiful, brutally honest tenor takes hold on Matt Thompson’s “Accelerate.” The darkness that permeates the journey feels fully real and lived in with lyricism that highlights the difficulties of navigating life. Elements have dark industrial grime alongside some rather polished pop flourishes, giving the album a highly addictive, appealing aspect. Vocals rest right in the center, for they have a commanding presence. Word choice adds to this sense of impermanence as the songs circle about in this grand fashion. Many different layers intersect further, adding to the inherent depth of the whole experience, drawing from Depeche Mode’s fraught romanticism.
The macabre setting comes through flawlessly with the opener, “Devil’s Dance.” The production adds to the glistening tone of the track. Delicate beats possess an economic stance on “Mean to Me” as they bring elements of trap, dance, and more into the fray, creating something unique. Storytelling becomes riveting in the retrospective view of “Leave It Haunted.” By far, the highlight is the expansive build-up of “Glimmer” going for grandeur to take shape. Delicate gestures radiate in the vast space with the wide-open “Ridiculous.” Sleazy electro vibes attach to “Problem For Me” with ragged sawtooth synthesizer waves. Volume is a must on “Accelerate,” for the song has a dazed, drunken chaos as it is propelled at lightning speeds. Tying all that came before it together is the sweeping “Soldiering.”
“Accelerate” shows off the nimble wordplay and sheer passion of Matt Thompson as he creates this raw, vivid aural universe.
