By: Evan Townsend

Generation Bass Digital Records claims to have found a diamond amongst a “pile of generic dubstep.” Of course, you have to take the statement of the artist’s own record label with a grain of salt. Still, after listening to the first album from Los Angeles’ GoldRush, cleverly titled Love Hz, it’s hard to disagree.

Love Hz has a pervasive but elusive aesthetic, one uniform in its eclecticism. GoldRush’s constantly mutating sound is hard to pin down, shifting from tranquil and zen-like electronica to intense and throbbing dubstep within a few seconds. GoldRush seamlessly weaves the two together, each facet surfacing at different points within every song. Though this mix has been attempted many times before, the result is usually a contrived sound. Few albums feel as natural as this.

GoldRush immediately shatters the preconceptions of a traditional dubstep album with his introductory track “Carpe Diem for Lovers.” The song isn’t built around a melody or sound so much as a mood. One of only two songs to feature vocals, its deeply emotional feel is helped in part by slow, naked guitar. Even with its radical shift from a sort of electro-folk to hard-hitting dub, the entire track carries the same sense of longing.

Despite its initially slow pace, “It’s When I Miss All of You” is one of the most powerful songs on the album. Hypnotic melodies lead this atmospheric track through darkly swaying lulls and pulsing breakdowns.

GoldRush finishes the album out with three straight tracks of hard and sweet ear candy. “PopRocks,” “SuperSymmetry,” and “Astrolover” play high and glitchy, with a kind of iridescence missing from the first half of the album.

Love Hz is dreamlike, and the more it’s analyzed, the harder it is to define. But GoldRush won’t just throw you into his unfamiliar, unconventional world. He gradually eases you in, and entices you with each beautifully alien track. This rare gem of an album will carry you through from start to finish.

GoldRush Love Hz Minimix

Purchase GoldRush Love Hz on Beatport.