Review of “Melatonin Wonderland” by Espae

In an era when culture tends to live off of recycled ideas in every field and the tastemaker youth split in between classic hits on repeat and contemporary vanities when it comes to music, only a few dares to make a change or at least attempt to.

Espae is one of them.

Just after “Carnival Fears” earlier this year, Espae has completed “Melatonin Wonderland” – a 6 tracks EP, one that follows its predecessor’s steps and expands the musical universe as well.

Does Espae express his views through the lens of identity, belonging and purpose in his new EP? Does he offer an answer for his audience’s questions of “Who am I?”, “Where do I fit?”, “What difference can I make?” In the time when young people struggle with self-discovery and anxiety more than ever, Espae chose a completely artistic approach to provide not only a great entertainment but also a layered, hidden answer for all these questions.

The first and probably most important in Espae‘s “Melatonin Wonderland” is its clever playfulness and varying delivery. Oftentimes the songs sound like a musical, and sometimes as a new type of pop with a wink in the eye.

“Eating Flowers” is a melodramatic lullaby sounding like a musical stage production. Espae‘s falsettos in the pianissimo parts are captivating and make the song work. The soothing pads create a magical realm in which the lyrics take a surprising turn. It is a soul-journey and a worthy to listen.

“Math Class Daydreams” is an upbeat, rhythmic fun with parodic lines where the chorus sounds like a dance-routine and the verses are closer to best of Madness. It morphs into a joyous outro with musical and lyrical punchlines – a real fun.

“Mr Wingus Bingus” is where Espae‘s melodic rap with its character based delivery proves to be the greatest strength – it suits him a lot. The backing track develops into a counterpointing chorus, however, here the key is the delivery and that works well – one would listen more from it.

“Put Your Game Away, The Orchestra’s Starting” is a mash of trap rhythm, orchestral strings and pop pads with some arpeggios. The lower registers suit the vocals and easy to the ears. Once again, it is sung from a character’s perspective. There is a surprise change in the cacophonous chorus to make it interesting. The whole song about a game in itself is a game – a refreshing idea.

“Sunflowers After Dark” brings back what Espae is the best at: a character based style in the vocals. The unexpected strings in the intro develop into a dance-pop / future pop and the song ends in a cacophony. The verses are quite likeable.

“The Things I Hate” is another variety of Espae‘s musical talent: pop-swing verse meets an art-pop chorus. In this love song with its catchy chorus and sudden tempo changes another gem can be found in Espae‘s musical palette.

The overall mix is not entirely feels on par with Espae‘s talent and an understanding master could also contribute to the songs.

Ultimately, “Melatonin Wonderland” is an interesting must-listen for every artistic music lovers. Espae does have great songwriting skills and some of his musical acting is truly remarkable.