Details: Sometime in 2016, just as the Polish singer/producer Tobiasz Bilinski began to find success through the dim and fractured electropop of Coldair, he knew it was time for a radical change. The songs on The Provider, Coldair's much-lauded second album, had been an exorcism of sorts. Laced with songs about early death, chronic disappointment, and clouded minds, the record was, as he puts it now, his earnest attempt to "get all this old shit out." That mission accomplished, he needed something new, a restart - the unabashedly radiant and unapologetically complex pop of Perfect Son, delivered in 10 perfect shots on Bilinski's Sub Pop debut, Cast. These songs, after all, are magnetic, with the searching harmonies and deep drums of "Promises" and the rhythmic intricacy and serial synths of "Wax" pulling you close on first listen and holding you there for the foreseeable future. These songs and this story are about the power of human perseverance and deliberate reinvention, of knowing that you can confront and come to terms with the darkest angels of your being. Cast is a testament to the possibilities of the future, brilliantly disguised as 10 grandiose and undeniable pop anthems.

Perfect Son - Cast (CD)