Geller’s debut album Astral Plane is here, and it is nothing short of spectacular. After making
some noise in the SoundCloud beat-making scene for the since 2016, the 18 year-old producer went into a year-long hibernation from releasing music to craft what he calls “a perfect representation” of the emotions he has felt in the last year.
“Dealing with and depression and anxiety could be seen by a lot of people as a handicap, but honestly it was sort of to my advantage in making this album,” Geller says. “After my father passed away in 2017, I needed some way to express my emotions. Everything I was feeling just felt trapped inside of me, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t find the words to
– Austin Geller
describe my emotions to doctors, friends, and family.”
Just shy of 45 minutes, the 11-track album takes us on an adventure through various moods and atmospheres. The short intro to the album, “Dreamstate,” insinuates falling asleep, or potentially leaving the physical realm and entering “the astral plane.” The bright and luscious synths on the track “Rewind” set the tone for the intergalactic adventure the album is about to take listeners on. The tracks “Every Girl” and “Contour Lines” shed light on brief happiness found in reminiscing over a lover from the past. Only to be contradicted by the dark, abrasive, loneliness of “Wasteland,” “Lullabies,” and “Wounded,” which serve as a sort of nightmare sequence in the dream that is the album. All to be concluded by the optimistic tone of the tracks “Eternal Sunshine,” and “Until Then.”
“As I was making this album, I really wanted to create this world where people could escape. I’ve always been very interested in dreams, so I thought having an album about one elongated dream would be the best way to do that.”
– Geller
Certainly a breath of fresh air, the album blends sounds of many genres—many of which are unorthodox for electronic music—into one opus piece. Astral Plane debuted at #7 on the U.S. iTunes Dance Music Chart upon its release on December 21, 2018, and has thus far been consigned by the likes of Kaskade and Sam Gellaitry. The album can be streamed or bought on all platforms. Listen below on Spotify and be sure to follow Geller on instagram here.