Fans might recognize the Geotic moniker as that of Will Wiesenfeld, the Los Angeles producer who's spent the last several years releasing under the name Baths. Wiesenfeld has stated the contrast between Baths and Geotic is that the former is meant for active listening, while the latter is made for a more passive experience — and passive exactly describes Abysma, his latest release as Geotic. There's nothing showy or flashy, nothing that even really stands out. It's muted electronic music; that's not to say minimalist, but it's certainly not grandiose.
Unobtrusive while not entirely dismissible, Abysma stands in an atmospheric middle ground, having moved beyond minimal electronic but still on the fringe of something destined for the dance floor. The album is punctuated with flourishes of keys and strings, melancholic and thoughtful riffs with Wiesenfeld's ethereal vocals sporadically appearing throughout, and the beats themselves (often the backbone of the track) are often overshadowed by the album's composition and the organic building and influence of each track.
Wiesenfeld's hazy side project is nice, but it would fare better if he punched it up slightly — for active listening.
