SG61: CASTLEBEAT - Nothing [EP]

CASTLEBEAT is the lo-fi pop project of Los Angeles-based musician Josh Hwang. His latest EP Nothing is the follow-up to his fourth LP Half Life, released in 2022. Through meticulous, near cinematic melodies and honest narratives, Half Life was an album steeped in nostalgia, alluding to the feeling of being both within and without, oscillating between past and future.

Written, recorded, and produced by Hwang, the songs on Nothing once again draw attention to the subtle intimacies of lo production, at once soft and textured, bright and shadowy, and pulling from multiple genres like chillwave, shoegaze, and jangle pop. However, there is a stunning, jagged intensity that cuts through these tracks that pull them closer to post-punk, even emo, at times; this only adds to the EP’s overall sense of immediacy.

Opener “Fate” bleeds into the title track with gritty guitars and echoed vocals; “Sick” falls into “Grow” given their softer, evocative productions. Closer “Sunlife,” an eulgent, choral ballad, is a gorgeous mix of all of the above. Ultimately, Nothing is yet another example of Hwang’s overall skill; genre-wise, he is a jack of all trades, and master of all, it seems, too.