Chicago-based COOL HEAT Releases Atmospheric Dream Pop EP
COOL HEAT is the solo project of Chicago-based musician and photographer Eden Sierotnik. His stunning self-titled debut EP released in October 2020 introduced his haunting, gorgeously cinematic take on lo-fi dream pop and shoegaze, with tracks like “Reflection” and “Rose” proving his remarkable ability to make his melodies feel nearly four-dimensional. His music is influenced in part by his photography (which he often uses as album artwork), both attempting to capture a liminal, yet vivid moment in time.
The synth melodies on Levitate often evoke the feeling of being suddenly pushed into a freezing cerulean pool, but in a way that remarkably reinvigorates rather than immobilizes. The main anchoring element within all the lo-fi color, ironically, is Sierotnik’s calm vocals, despite lyrics often being the last thing Sierotnik writes; he focuses first on the overall feeling and atmosphere of the track itself, resulting in a massive, lush sound that eventually becomes immersive. Title track “Levitate” expands on the iciness of opener “Home,” the latter made irresistible with the addition of a shimmering repeated melody. “Drift” embellishes the darkened expanse with glimmering synth flourishes, while closer “Feel the Way” shudders and floats as if traversing rarefied air. Modern and retro all at once, Sierotnik’s sophomore EP Levitate expands on his already stunning discography, and tonally, resembles a deep dive into the otherworldly.