What You Can’t Miss When You Can’t Sleep: Album Review on Cinematic's "Dreamcast"

By Julian Cuebas​

It’s around midnight and I’m getting weighed down by my pace in life. I’m 23 and I feel like life has started to move too fast. I get more peace at slower speeds, and the digital era is not the time for that. On my computer screen is a Crayola yellow background with an animated Dreamcast in the center smiling at me. Okay, I think to myself. Let’s check this out.
 
Nostalgia, bouncy, wavy, three words to describe the new project from Chattanooga’s Cinematic. He samples a Dreamcast start up to world build then employs a beat selection that alleviates stress and gives headspace to the listener. The vibe is hazy, the room feels large but the sugar-coated bars have an apathetic center. Lamenting women that have left and continue to leave on the third track Where Did It Go? The bouncy beat almost feels like the perfect polarization of Owl City. Sonically, the instruments are there to comfort the listener while nostalgia turns to a sense of regret and remorse.
 
The sample on No Option is a Spongebob sample further playing on the listener’s nostalgia. The sample has Spongebob demanding money in his bag. Cinematic has no option other than to take what he needs to continue. Saying he has no option, there is too much pain around, he’s going to prosper by any means.
 
The standout tracks on this EP are: Where Did It Go, No Option, and Nobody Want Love. I think these tracks have the strongest form of drippy nostalgia he aimed to evoke out of his listener. After listening to the EP I found myself with a sense of calmness even with all my underlying stress. I crawled into bed, cut the lights, and thought about the instrumentals from this project until I drifted off.