4 out of 5

Label: Analogical Force

Produced by: Mattias Östling

Rolando Simmons’ – Mattias Östling’s – work is almost invariably pleasant. This could be a not-so-great compliment by some measures, but it’s surely difficult to craft a catalogue that’s reliably as listenable as Simmons. Furthermore, the artist gets an additional caveat: there’s generally a theme to their work, stated outright or interpretable from context, that makes giving it additional passes worthwhile. Sometimes that ‘theme’ goes to the somewhat ephemerally buoyant nature of the tunes, but can equally enrich the listen.

Such is the case with Terrestrial Ultra-Doula, their 2024 drop on Analogical Force. Surely fitting in with much of the bubbly electro / burbly acid Simmons has released, it’s easy enough to spot some usual flaws: amazing build-ups of layers to lovely beats gives way to a casualness – reveling in that beat perhaps beyond a certain point of value; and the sense that you’re maybe not hearing anything to shake up the genre. It’s pretty, but what else?

A brief line in the media copy solves that: Ultra-Doula is a reflection on a dream. That’s a  simple statement, but as opposed to just being an interpretation of that dream, it puts me in mind of a conversation: dreams are already interpretations of something, and Rolando is chattering with the content to find out what that is. It’s reflexive. This adds a layer of discovery to UD that really opened up the listen for me, with opener Incandescent Shakespeares (Doula mix) and closer Stone-Seeder Hierophant acting as true bookends – the thrill of something new; a self-assured chill down at the end (perhaps fitting that it’s the only non “remix” on the EP) – with more exploratory work in the middle. Combine this with the precision Simmons always applies, and the tracks edge well out of pleasantry – in the middle, as the dream perhaps butts into more challenging territory, so does Simmons, dipping into vaguely grimey or more aggressive material.

A rewarding listen that gains more value with each return exposing a new little wrinkle.