Synth Single Review: “Asphalt” by Lucien Drive

by Karl Magi

Lucien Drive’s “Asphalt” creates impressions of jagged edges and powerful propulsion as it pounds to life with darkness undulating before cymbals add a metallic sharpness while the main theme unfolds in trickling tones. Ragged notes shiver as the solid underpinnings generate rapid motion before a motif of full-sounding notes conveys a journey into the freedom of the open road.

I travel with the artist as he tells an auditory tale of travel and adventure. Chimes contribute a diamond glow while the endlessly churning foundation pushes forward. The main melody delineates feelings of drifting down endless roads, asphalt continually speeding under a car's tires.

Shadows surge from the percussion before the main theme glides alone, full of melancholy wandering, as the drums and bass return to advance the track. Surprising softness tumbles from a round-toned synth before the driving under layer and floating notes fade into silence.