Multi-instrumentalist and producer Joe Agius, the genius behind RINSE, has a day job with his partner Harriette Pilbeam’s solo work Hatchie, and his last release under the RINSE moniker was the magnificent EP ‘Wherever I Am‘ – my album of the year for 2021 (see my 9.8/10 review here). As a measure of the stature and magnificence of this EP, it is still rarely off my turntable.
After a long absence, RINSE is back with the dream pop explosion of ‘Does It feel Like Heaven?’. Eschewing an easy repeat of what has come before, ‘Does It feel Like Heaven?’ is a chemically induced fugue of psychedelia and trance – billowing layers of synths and a hypnotising refrain shimmer and float in the ether. A trip into something more esoteric and intangible for sure, and yet as brilliant and enchanting as ever.
A distorted distant vocal floats over a patter of drums in the introduction before Agius’s falsetto soars above with the chorus, and the verse eases in with the trademark melodies and sense of deep yearning as he sings you don’t go wasting your love away. A music interlude floats and swirls celestially, enchanting and mesmerising.
‘Does It Feel Like Heaven?’ essentially cements Agius’s reputation for sonic proficiency in the studio and his ability to marry indelible melodies with sonic innovation. A vastly underrated genius.
‘Does It Feel Like Heaven?’ is out now and available to stream and download here. The anticipation of more to come is almost unbearable.
