I’m not sure if the term ‘sleepy music’ has ever been checked off on the old genre list, but Triathalon’s new LP, Funeral Music, definitely fits that vibe. With a wave of lo-fi shoegaze, gentle slacker pop, psychedelic autotune or vocoder vocal tricks, Funeral Music immediately left me fatigued. Many of the tracks blend into one hazy, coagulated mass, and never pass the 120 bpm mark; this album has no trouble inching to the finish line over its 15 songs. It kind of feels like shoegaze for the Tik Tok generation, taking inspiration from modern bedroom pop or hyperpop, but quietly so.
It’s ‘vibey’ music and quickly calms a racing mind, but feels almost too cohesive in it’s sameness and at times, a bit milquetoast. The production on each track is on point, but the whispery vocals and fuzzy wall of sounds all fall into a similar place, so it’s hard to separate songs from one another. I was waiting for more energy, like what we hear on “RIP,” or maybe “Salt,” but the 13 other songs feel like twins or similar cousins to one another. If the album was say, nine songs, I may feel differently, but this thing is quite dense, and took awhile to get through.
So, for me, I’m not feeling Funeral Music as much as I would have liked; there’s just not enough dynamism to fall into a repeat listen, for me. This could just be my taste at the moment.
