MUSIC BLOGS

Kasbo Announces Sophomore Album With Release of Video and Lead Single "Play Pretend"

Get ready to float away on a cloud of dreams with Kasbo's new song "Play Pretend," featuring Ourchives. Out today via Counter Records and Foreign Family Collective, ODESZA's flagship imprint, it is the lead single from the blossoming producer's upcoming sophomore album, The Making of a Paracosm, due October 23rd. 

Known for his soft and emotive indie-electronic style, Kasbo reaches new depths with "Play Pretend," taking an edgier approach from the track's outset with muted synths reminiscent of Bob Moses and drum machine reverb layered underneath Ourchives' smoky vocal tones. At the same time, Kasbo seamlessly integrates this fresh approach with his signature ethereal soundscapes, building gently into a drop comprised of strong electronic chords and airy falsetto vocals. 

"It is a song about giving in to something you know in time will destroy you, but, at that moment, you decide to ignore that voice in your head and live in the moment, ignoring how destructive it might be," Ourchives said in a press release. 

Paired with a poignant and visually stunning music video, "Play Pretend" offers a promising look into The Making of a Paracosm. It foreshadows a stormier, more emotionally complex companion to Kasbo's 2018 debut album, Places We Don't Know, which earned him a Billboard Ones to Watch listing with its unhindered optimism and childlike whimsy. 

This expectation aligns with recents posts to his social media and Spotify artist profile, which reads, "Paracosm: A prolonged imaginary world. Paracosms are thought generally to originate in childhood and have one or numerous creators; can have a definite geography and and language and history." 

Perhaps The Making of a Paracosm will describe just that, integrating sonics reminiscent of folklore from Kasbo's native Sweden and vocal features from a host of Swedish artists to tell the story of how Kasbo and his art came to be. You can check out the record's tracklist below.

The Making of a Paracosm tracklist:

  1. The Making of a Paracosm
  2. Play Pretend (feat. Ourchives)
  3. Shut the World Out (feat. Frida Sundemo)
  4. Blur
  5. För Evigt (feat. Florian Rosetti)
  6. Talk Slow (feat. Noomi)
  7. Augusti, 05:19 (Interlude)
  8. Vittra
  9. Lune (feat. Vancouver Sleep Clinic)
  10. Skogsrå
  11. Hemma
  12. Staying in Love (feat. Nea)
  13. Show You
  14. Snö (feat. Freja The Dragon)

FOLLOW KASBO:

Facebook: facebook.com/kasbomusic
Twitter: twitter.com/kasbomusic
Instagram: instagram.com/kasbomusic
Spotify: spoti.fi/30YH4Ho