With the new single Mind, Tropics (the mercurial moniker of British-born electronic enigma Christopher Ward) delivers a dizzying dance through dreamy electronica, where hypnotic harmonies entwine with off-kilter ambience. Ward, now settled in the sunlit sprawl of Los Angeles, concocts a kaleidoscope of looping vocals that linger and lure, pulling listeners into an uncanny, rhythmic reverie.
Echoing the experimental eclecticism of Yves Tumor, the sultry seduction of Portishead, and the cerebral charm of Boards of Canada, Mind melds a subtly strange atmosphere with an insistent backbeat that anchors its ethereal eccentricities. The track’s repetition becomes a ritualistic chant, burrowing beneath the listener’s skin; an unsettling yet irresistible earworm.
While the lyrics eschew depth for visceral immediacy, their deceptively simple syllables strike at something primal and profound, conjuring a feeling rather than a story. Ward’s adept ability to blend ambience and indie inflections shines throughout his expansive oeuvre, but Mind particularly stands out, casting the listener adrift on swirling synths that summon comparisons to the musical abstractions of Oneohtrix Point Never, the woozy warmth of Mount Kimbie, and the dark allure of James Blake.
“This is a warped and disorientating moment, where I was just looping these samples, playing in drums over them and kinda mumbling this topline,” says Ward. “Really just evolved from there into this thing that kept making me bop my head and wanna play it loudly while I drove home from the studio.”
Listen to Mind below:
Tropics has previously found synergy in collaborations with Badbadnotgood and Petite Noir, and has been remixed by electronic innovators such as Aleksandir and Machinedrum. Even sampled by hip-hop heavyweights Wale and 6lack, Ward’s Mind now crystallizes his chameleonic talent.
The album “Reality Fever” is comprised of ten tracks and is set for release on September 3, 2025, via Modern Entity.
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