Nicolas Jaar returns with third LP of 2020, 'Telas'

by: Josh Stewart Jul 18, 2020

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Nicolas Jaar returns with his third album of 2020, exhibiting the Chilean-American producer’s unrivaled sound design and penchant for the off-kilter across four abstract and inspired tracks.

Titled Telas, the new release is arguably Jaar in his most experimental state yet, and frankly, not for everyone. As revealed during Nicolas Jaar’s recent appearance on Palestine’s Radio Alhara, Telas translates to “tales,” which couldn’t be a more fitting title, as each of the tracks on the release tell their own cerebral stories. After escaping the intentionally overstimulating intro, “Telahora,” for example, seems to drop the listener under the sprawling night sky, one of Jaar’s many vast and atmospheric sonic ecosystems heard throughout the LP.

Each of the following tracks, titled “Telencima,” “Telahumo,” and “Telallás,” add further brushstrokes to the visual universe of Telas. There are points in the album where Jaar might get lost diddling with experimental sounds, but the resulting aesthetic that falls somewhere between abrasive metallic timbres and organic production is something to behold.

Telas is a release that’s easy to feel lost in, but is also thought provoking as a result. It’s the type of album that you listen to, let go of for a few months, and then come back to for a completely different listening experience. However, it shows an artist in Nicolas Jaar who isn’t driven by the sounds of past successes, but only the next artistic vision in front of him.

Telas is out on streaming services now. For more information on the concepts behind the album, visit Nicolas Jaar’s Instagram.

Featured image: Somnath Bhatt