Now Is

London-based musician and producer Ryan Lee West, aka Rival Consoles, creates driving, experimental electronic music that makes synthesisers sound human. His consistent desire to create a more organic, living sound, sees him forming pieces that capture a sense of songwriting behind the machines. Over the course of a critically acclaimed fifteen-year career, Rival Consoles' music has diversified from the challenging output of his early EPs to gradually become more conceptual and metamorphic, such as 'Articulation' (2020) which used drawings and sketches to imagine and develop each track, to 'Overflow' (2021), which explored themes of the human and emotional consequences of life surrounded by advancing technologies and social media.'Now Is' marks a new chapter in an ongoing quest for refinement and evolution. More playful and melodic, the album draws from much experimentation in minimalist songwriting and seamlessly blends synthesisers and acoustic instruments. "There are some pieces that are influenced quite strongly by the isolation and anxiety of these times. There are also pieces which are more optimistic and vibrant, which I think is a consistent attitude of my records, as I want art to express many aspects of life."From the elevating arrangements of 'Beginnings' and motorik beats of 'World Turns', to the isolation of 'Frontiers', influenced by the barren landscapes of Iceland, Rival Consoles' eighth studio album subtly morphs and evolves. "The title of the record 'Now Is' interests me because it is the beginning of a statement, but it is incomplete. I like art that is open and suggestive of ideas even if they are inspired by very specific things. With my previous record 'Overflow' being very dark, heavy and almost dystopian, I wanted to escape into a different world with this music and ended up creating a record which is a lot more colourful and euphoric."01 Beginnings02 World Turns03 Eventually04 Frontiers05 Vision of Self06 Now Is07 Echoes08 Running09 The Fade10 A Warning11 Quiet Home