BVSMV is Dreaming in Slow Motion, and you're invited to peek in and listen to what exactly that sounds like. As it turns out, it sounds like a master synthwave artist at the height of his powers. The beats are punchier than ever, the melodies lovelier, and Bryan Kraft is well and truly back on it; offering up seven gorgeous pieces of warm, spacey electronica, fresher and feistier than ever before.

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INTERVIEW
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George Ernst (Triplicate Records): Is there some kind of a link between the title of this EP and your ambient project 'Running in Slow Motion'?

Bryan Kraft (BVSMV): Yes! Ever since I did my “collaborative” EP with both monikers, I’ve been thinking of combing the two projects. I’ve put out ambient tracks as BVSMV and this is kind of the culmination of that. BVSMV is my sole moniker for the time being.

GE: Have you ever had that horrible dream where you're trying to run from THE THREAT ™ and your legs are quite literally running in slow motion?

BK: Absolutely. It’s terrible. I’d go to work or school in my underwear any day.

GE: Did you have a good time making this one? It's got a real nice, positive energy to it, mixed in with a lot of pretty flourishes, it sounds like it'd be fun to put together.

BK: Thanks! I worked on it off and on for awhile so I think I didn’t overthink it as much because I’d let it sit for awhile. Over all, this last year has been positive for me personally and I’ve done a lot more in the past six months than in the past three years, so I think that had something to do with it. Plus I got some new music toys which (shout out Hologram Microcosm), which literally have been fun to play with and experiment with.

GE: Smack-talk another musician so we can get in the news please?

BK: What’s the deal with the Weeknd? He didn’t have enough fun ruining synthwave so he had to go and ruin TV and HBO?

GE: Do you realise how close you came to being called 'Ryan'? Like, just one little slip-up on the birth certificate and that could've been you, doomed to a life of Ryanical misery for the rest of your days. So I guess my question is, are you having a nice summer?

BK: My uncle once put Brain on a birthday card. At least Ryan is spelling my name incorrectly only one time. My summer has been fantastic, by the way!

GE: Who are you listening to at the moment?

BK: Lots of post rock and ambient music. I’m a huge fan of This Will Destroy You, Helios, and Rival Consoles. Then besides that I’ve been really loving the newest M83, and listening to a lot of “indie” from the last 10 years: Foals, Future Islands, Bon Iver, Deerhunter, etc.


GE: What're your thoughts on those fat bees you get towards Autumn that're all sort of slow and fly low and bump into you?

BK: They are so interesting! They are just fuzzy and cute, and kind of sad because you know the only reason they are slow is because they are dying. But, it’s like the circle of life or whatever and you can just enjoy getting to see something so unique up close and then not mow your lawn for most of the next May and make up for it.

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REVIEW
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BVSMV, Bicycles Versus Motor Vehicles, Bryan Kraft, Krafty Bryzza, Big BK, The Burger King, The Synthwave Serenader, and the guy who does all the lovely art for Triplicate Records returns with an EP 'Dreaming in Slow Motion', that's actually longer than most zoomer LP's. At 27 solid minutes, the music is given plenty of breathing space. Adventures are on the cards, and in the hands of an adventurous producer at the height of his powers, you're in for a damn smooth ride.

'Opener Input _ Output' pounds pointedly and soaks with a wave of sweet sweet ear-candy. Kraft's not shy about shovelling it out in big multiplex cinema pic n mix scoops this time around. The blistering exhilaration of the airy, glowing arpeggios as they take to the skies and remind you why you fell in love with these kinds of tunes in the first place. Oh and we mustn't forget the drums. They're going harder than ever these days. Soaked in punch and power, grittier and more rock-influenced, yet still retaining the trademark synthwave sheen.

'Imaginary Worlds' features a prominent and instantly likeable bass hook that does this cool thing where it flirts the mood-line between funky and grumpy, and the infectious optimism of the surrounding instrumental sort of gradually envelops it, like convincing a dour person to dance at a wedding and then it turns out they're really good or something. I don't know. You know what else is really good or something? This track. Moving on...

'Alive Again' is an extremely positive, affirming kind of music built around horn-ish (I'm not saying horny) keys and a lovely recurring synth pad flourish that crops up over and over to shimmer sweetly and does this really neat thing around the three minute mark where it feels like it's going to swallow the whole tune but then the percussion just bursts back in and we're back to cooltown USA.

The sublimely named 'At The Golden Hour' occupies the midpoint of 'Dreaming in Slow Motion', and is the first time where it does it fact feel as though someone hit the slow-mo on their VHS controller. It's gentle, and dreamlike, and although I'd (((never))) go as far as to suggest you should go out of your way to harass Bryan IRL for false advertising, not everything with 'hour' in the title has to last an hour. Three minutes and fifty seconds can do the job just fine.

'The Future is Now' wins the coveted 'most synthwavey title' award, but the music speaks for itself. It DOES in fact sound like the soundtrack to a one-in-a-million show where the future isn't shitty and people are still making bangers like this. Laden with intriguing reverberated mystery percussion and packed with myriad micro-melodies, this track ends up being quite a standout, and a likely new favourite.

'Microcosmic Sunsets' is the runner-up for the aforementioned award but lost out due to the use of a portmanteau, another highlight. This is truly a record wherein the quality, while present right from the start, just builds and builds. An ever evolving, yet minimalist beat-pattern keeps things flavourful and fresh while the melodies soar once again, the textures of the bells ringing out go\rgeous notes against an amber horizon.

Finally, 'Meeting Again for the First Time', plays as the credits roll, a moody yet flowery finishing piece, less bombastic, than its predecessors, appropriately enough. Synthwave doesn't blister the mind like Breakbeat or Power-violence, it invigorates the soul enough that you'll catch yourself from time to time engaging in definite dancelike behaviour. This is your debrief, to another fantastic collection of songs that'll worm their translucent melody-membranes into your heart. That sounds gross but it's actually good.