Doctor Stupid, aka Lucian Meisler, is a current student studying experimental pop music at California Institute of the Arts. Meisler got started at the age of ten by playing instruments and started writing songs in high school. I Want to Exist is a five song EP. On his Bandcamp page he mentions “grass, sky, swimming, wondering, pondering, clothes and incense.”
In the artist’s own words “I Want to Exist is an experimental album that combines typical pop form with wacky lyrics and video game sounds.”.I appreciated the experimental aspects with these songs, especially some of the production techniques. The EP begins with “Swimming Pool” and you get some strummed chords on acoustic guitar, percussion and also what sounds like water from a tap. I loved the vocals. The performance is great and I also thought the song was very catchy. As the song progresses the water-like effects get more intense and morphs. The vocals get more hefty with some backing. It climaxes when the vocalist sings “Trapped in a loop” and feels like it’s getting submerged in water. The water like aesthetic continues on “Sleeves” where I felt the instruments were submerged and bubbling. It’s obviously some kind of filter. Other elements like xylophone are in there as well. The focal point is the vocals. I again thought the vocals were really well delivered and quite infectious. “Am I Allowed to?” does have some of that chiptune video type vibe mostly because of the synths. The song is warm and felt like I was on a tropical island. It’s got a bedroom lo-fi type aesthetic. “Grass + Sky” has low-melancholy vibes but is also subdued and playful. The energy is so lush it almost feels ambient. It’s a well-written song. In fact the vocal melodies might be the most notable. There’s a section where the song paradoxically speeds up while the vocalist sings “Time moves slowly.” The EP ends with “Strife” which is the arguable highlight and has an undeniable hook. As a producer myself I thought the songs had that bedroom production style. In my experience it’s hard to get dynamics without a live drummer. I would like to hear some work out of the bedroom aesthetic because I think there is more potential here dynamically. Overall, this was a solid release. The songwriting and performances were consistent. I really thought the vocalist did and exceptional and found the production unique and inventive. I hope to hear more in the not too distant future.
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