André Obin

A longtime fixture in the Boston music scene with ambient-pop duo Matters & Dunaway and the skygazing rock band Endless Wave, electronic music producer André Obin experienced a breakthrough last year, both in songwriting craftsmanship and global recognition, with The Arsonist LP.

Though the songs were written and recorded over a period of five years, the title and its title track drew from Obin’s personal experiences surviving a 2012 fire in his Somerville/Cambridge-line apartment. A minimalist by nature, the ordeal left Obin with an even tighter network of relationships, a stronger disdain for material goods, and an even sharper focus on his intense brand of forward-thinking music.

When a tragedy strikes a certain type of creative mind, the opportunity to re-build and re-emerge arises, and Obin now returns to the fold April 29 with his second LP (again via New York’s Sky Council Records, distributed by Sony MRI), titled Ways of Escape. While we’ve already heard the textured synthpop of first single “Approaching Zero (via Impose Magazine) and club-land darkwave of “Loaded Soul” (thank you, Bullett Media), we are honored to premiere our personal favorite selection off Ways of Escape, the majestic “Watermark.”

The track blossoms like the morning sun until it reaches a glistening climax of emotive pop, not unlike the finer tracks on the Drive soundtrack and the West Coast revival of stark electro-pop. It’s a slow-burning thriller that unfolds and rises over six minutes, and tucked towards the end of Ways Of Escape, almost represents a sort of new beginning.

It feels like a reawakening, and in a rare moment for an Obin composition, there’s a relative feeling of positivity through the darkness. There’s often a feeling of “We’re fucked” in Obin’s productions, both musically and lyrically, but here on “Watermark,” it feels like despite the struggles of life and al that are thrown our way, we’re somehow gonna be alright.

“Tears fall down like water, tears fall down like rain,” Obin offers as “Watermark” approaches its height, before reassuring: “And that’s okay.”

Listen to the brilliant “Watermark” below, then find Obin’s upcoming tour dates after the Soundcloud jump. - Vanyaland

We’ve been high on André Obin for a while around here since he release his debut The Arsonist last year. The Boston-based producer is back with another selection of nocturnally hypnotic darkwave compositions Ways of Escape. We’ve got a premiere of the first track “Loaded Soul” exclusively today.

“The song is about being a loner all your life, sacrificing love and relationships over and over again for the sake of music until you finally find someone that is as passionate about art as you are,” Obin told us. “It’s for the person that is comfortable with me being a bit manic. She understands the ups and downs of putting yourself out there to write, record and perform.”

Ways of Escape is out April 29 on Skycouncil - Bullett

Though it took five years for André Obin to write his full length debut, The Arsonist, the Boston synth artist is not taking another five years to craft a sophomore album. In April, André Obin will releases Ways of Escape on Sky Council.

The title track of his debut is maximalism on tilt, a sort of demand imposed by its intensification of every texture. A year later, "Approaching Zero" is starkly polar to Obin's past work. As a lyricist, he's still expressing fragility, but on "Approaching Zero" the acoustic front line is accompanied by crunchy drums that never strong arm the soft fabrics. A year ago he was a ball of inertia, concerned with being a man on fire. The first single of Ways of Escape suggests André Obin is coming to terms with the compartmentalizing of the impulses of his emotive synth pop. "Approaching Zero" is Obin in control and with it comes renewed interest in an artist who's pushing beyond the early signifiers, and modern peers. - Impose

André Obin steadily accrued esteem as a producer and synth pop craftsman after he emerged on the indie electronica scene with the Colorwheel EP in 2008. The Boston native has since been feted with opening touring slots for folks like Matthew Dear, Washed Out, and M83, and gained renown through a handful of EPs released by boutique, avant-garde dance labels in Brooklyn (Moodgadget), the Netherlands (Trouw Amsterdam), and Switzerland (Mina). It's surprising, then, that Obin, five years into a healthy career, is just now getting around to releasing his first full-length album, The Arsonist, on the New York-based Sky Council.
The album's title track showcases Obin's dynamism, playing like a Hurry Up, We're Dreaming b-side remixed for a more druggy setting. A shimmering keyboard riff is quickly undercut by an ominously grungy synth line, while a detached Obin casually ponders what torture, emotional or otherwise, will he soon endure: "Are you an arsonist?/ Come to burn my soul/ Never asked if you were the right one." With "The Arsonist", Obin deftly provides a chilling flip-side to the euphoric crescendos valued by his peers, turning synth-pop spectacle into a numbing agent of light and sound. - Pitchfork

Boston synth-popper André Obin hit the scene in 2008, releasing a string of EPs on labels like Ghostly and Moodgadget, alongside tour dates with Matthew Dear, M83, Washed Out, and more. But after returning to his Somerville apartment last November to record his first full-length, Obin lost many of his personal belongings and recording equipment in a fire. Thanks to a little resolve and some charitable donations from friends, Obin was able to pick up the pieces and finish his debut: The Arsonist.

To confront his lingering feelings surrounding the fire, Obin responds with varying degrees of emotional distance. The title track is more direct, with Obin questioning, “Are you an arsonist?/ Come to burn my soul/ Never asked if you were the right one”. Some songs, though, are more metaphorical in nature, as is the case with the latest single, “Lemondrop”.

Obin has taken his evocative and multi-faceted vocals and buried them under a mountain of fuzzy synth that threatens to consume the entire soundscape, creating a sense of inherent powerlessness against the weight of the world. But even as he slides further and further under the mass of driving rhythms, there’s little flourishes and wails that prove he’s not yet given up the fight. Stream it below. - Consequence of Sound

Last week, we premiered a new track from André Obin—he of dark synths and infectious pop grooves. Like it? Good. We’ve got the musician’s new album for your streaming pleasure. Ways of Escape is out today on Skycouncil. - Under the Radar

This is only André Obin's second album, but the development of his sound also entails several singles and EPs on labels like Moodgadget, Trouw, Klopfgeist, and Mina. He has produced tracks that can easily be classified as techno; on Ways of Escape, he sticks to synth pop, and the majority of the eight songs here are among the tautest and most finely detailed he has made thus far. The affected English accent on which he once leaned is seemingly in the past, though that yearning/vulnerable quality remains. He's still clearly inspired by the likes of early Ultravox, New Order, and Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, while the synthesized bassline in the opening "Loaded Soul" bears strong resemblance to the one in Ministry's "Every Day Is Halloween." Top standout "Eye for an Eye," slow and hefty and yet atmospheric, sounds like the work of someone armed with encyclopedic knowledge of his inspirations and the ability to be distinctive. "Loomer," the finale -- not a My Bloody Valentine cover -- is one of his finest and most unique instrumentals, a theme-like track full of menace with a touch of sweetness. - All Music

Boston synthpop genius Andre Obin is making his return with the brand new album Ways of Escape. To celebrate the release, Obin will perform in Brooklyn at Radio Bushwick on Friday, April 25. Joining Obin will be a diverse bill of electronic artists – Teeel, Vows, and My Love MHZ. Check out tracks from all of the artists below! - The Sky Report