SuppliedAero Flynn
Aero Flynn
Dine Alone Records
aeroflynn.org
Folk-electronica very rarely works as a genre. The sound either ends up learning too far to either side, making part of the track seem out of place, or the insertion of one into the other sounds kitchy and more like a novelty than a cohesive unit. Aero Flynn’s self-titled debut, though, manages to toe the line of both genres and marry them together into a delectable mixture of folksy-synth perfection.
Aero Flynn hails from Eau Claires, Wisconsin, known best for producing industry sweetheart Justin Vernon of Bon Iver fame. Early into the first listen, it is easy to draw comparisons between the two, as Bon Iver’s familiar twangy guitar layered over falsetto vocals is found on several tracks. Unsurprising considering Vernon produced the album, but Aero Flynn manages to differentiate itself by infusing poppy synths periodically through the mostly folk album.
The album seems unable to decide what it wants to be — but it works. Each track is quite different, but with delicate vocals and gradual fades to cross genres, everything is tied together in a smooth package. “Crisp” starts slow, and morphs into a poppy-synth fueled bassline that continues into “Tree.” “Tree” then features a throbbing bassline over a tight falsetto, but slowly transitions into etheral piano-based track “Floating,” a vibe that continues for the rest of the album. The entire album features these slow transitions, making each song different but unified.
Not being able to choose a genre generally plunges artists into a miserable muddled mess that can’t be saved by the sophomore album. However, with Aero Flynn, this isn’t the case. They have solved the unsolvable equation and have put together a beautiful genre-hopping album that is a definitive rival to their Eau Claires peers.
