Mid-Year Round-Up: Your Summer Playlist is Incomplete Without Hotel Pools and SelloRekt/LA Dreams

Everyone needs some chillwave in their lives if it's going to be this hot

As noted last week, I’m skipping the tradition of looking back at my favorite albums of the first six months of the year and instead am continuing to give you fresh tunes. For the remainder of June, Friday’s column features records I’ve had on repeat that Check This Out! hasn’t covered.

There’s been a lot of great chillwave and synthwave that I’ve already covered this year. Whether it is the latest Mitch Murder, the dreamwave sounds of Galaxy 80, Resort Realism’s excellent debut, or Exponent, the latest from local keytar favorite PatternShift, there’s no shortage of retro excellence to choose from.

With that in mind, the list wouldn’t be complete without Hotel Pools and the latest from SelloRekt/LA Dreams.

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Hotel Pools - Palmscapes

Some tropical chillwave is not the genre you’d typically associate with the Portland, Oregon music scene, but Hotel Pools offers a break from the heat with bar cart vibes.

Hotel Pools is the project from Ben Braun, and his fourth record, Palmscapes, is his best yet. While his previous efforts have been solo affairs, Palmscapes sees Braun bringing other artists from the scene to refresh the sound.

With escape and relaxation on the mind, “Vacation” is a woozy opener that leaves the crowd behind in favor of a gentle melody surfing the wall of synth waves. Palmscapes goes in a little harder on the beats from other Hotel Pools sets, and the second track, “Oceanside,” demonstrates this shift brilliantly - it’s punchy but still smooth sailing.

As for the mentioned features, VIQ shows up on “Splash” for a catchy run that wouldn’t feel out of place in a Tycho set. “Bonfire” slows things down a bit with long sweeps and features Decisive Koala, another artist I’ve been digging from the scene. Elsewhere, Forhill shows up on the fat bass-driven “Coco,” and Upusen helps with the slightly more complex “Cherry.”

Another great release on the Stratford Ct. label, Palmscapes, is the complete package. If the gorgeous cover from Andrew Walker pulls you in, Hotel Pools has created a welcomed respite from the searing temps.

Palmscapes is available now on Stratford Ct.

SelloRekt/LA Dreams - Masterpiece

Switching things up for a more nostalgic experience, SelloRekt/LA Dreams’ humbly titled Masterpiece is the latest from the prolific retrowave producer.

Inspired by Tangerine Dream, Harold Faltermeyer, Duran Duran, and a slew of other artists from the Decade of Greed, SelloRekt/LA Dreams combines electronic music with traditional instruments and the results are always catchy.

A master of the outrun genre, SelloRekt/LA Dreams kicks off Masterpiece with the one-two punch of “Extravagant” and “Right Here With You.” A slapping bass and buried Daft Punk-esque vocals drive the opener, while “Right Here With You” is a splendid race against the clock.

SelloRekt/LA Dreams always works in some tasteful slow jams, and “Anytime” and “Just One Night” are here if you want to make some moves on that bearskin rug by the fireplace. “Masquerade” is where the Duran Duran influences pop up with keyboards and synths blissfully working around each other.

Finally, “This Time (Proclivity)” and “Relent” are perfect examples of why Sellorekt/LA Dreams should be soundtracking the new Top Gun movie if Hollywood knew what was up.

Masterpiece is available now via Kiez Beats.

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