Stardew Valley is a fictitious rural region in a 2016 video game of the same name. Described as an “open-ended country-life RPG,” it is essentially a game about unplugging from the modern world and embracing the beauty of simple living. You, the customized character, quit your soul-sucking office job, move to an inherited farm, live off the land, and become a part of the small community in Pelican Town. You can get married and start a family, or just live alone with your farm animals. You can go on adventures. It’s a story about escapism in a medium rooted in escapism, at a time when most everyone could use an escape once in awhile.
Among Stardew Valley’s many fans is Jamison Isaak. The Canadian artist recently tweeted that playing the game has helped take his mind off the woes of the world, a small but important act of self-care. And it’s not unlike the creation of his newest album as Teen Daze. When Isaak moved from the city of Abbotsford, British Columbia, to a more secluded part of the Fraser Valley, he began work on Themes for Dying Earth as a way of processing recent bouts of anxiety. The warm lullaby “First Rain” and its calming lilt operate like the soft-beating heart around which the record was built. In that way, Themes deals with harsh realities—personal, environmental, social—by seeking solace in nature. “Deep inside the woods is where I go to understand,” Nadia Hulett sings on the downcast “Lost,” as if inviting us to follow.
The appeal is irresistible, and once wrapped up in Themes, it’s hard to imagine leaving its embrace. Isaak’s music has come a long way from his earliest material, the pop-friendly electronic stuff known as chillwave, but these songs also take a step back from the live band setup explored on 2015’s Morning World. Like any well-adjusted adult, Isaak has found a happy compromise here, creating a lush paradise with guitar amps and softsynths alike. It’s not that he hasn't used his pop sensibilities and sensitive way with melody to conjure the idyllic before—Themes is just a more fully formed, comprehensive utopia. From “Cycle”’s gentle glide to the weightless “Breath,” an unbroken feeling of tenderness flows gracefully.
Such continuity comes down to the album’s careful pacing, as winsome singalongs give way to fluttering ambience or uplifting instrumentals. Despite such a consistent, good-natured tone, Themes never grows stale or turns saccharine. A song like “Water in Heaven” has the solemn majesty of a hymn, while “Cherry Blossoms” evokes the miniature splendor of M83’s Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts. Isaak treats these lofty moments with the same care and attention as the more subdued ones, allowing the meditative “Dream City” nearly five minutes to flutter and loop like a kite in the wind. When a pedal steel guitar shows up in “Anew,” its presence is strange, but it reveals an artist looking to color even the album’s smallest corners.
Themes was recorded entirely within the Fraser Valley region. It was released on his own label, and each physical copy comes with a unique photo shot by the artist, which are said to showcase the local landscapes that inspired the music. It all makes for an exceptionally personal album from someone known for his intimate songwriting. And yet Themes’ subtle power is rooted in the dichotomy of someone running far from the madding crowd, only to open themselves to the world’s problems and offer the comfort of a brief reprieve. For every smack in the face, Themes pauses, grins, and returns a kiss on the cheek.
