I’m a big fan of TOKiMONSTA because I am endlessly impressed by the way her music so easily roots itself in my life. ‘Oasis Nocturno’ in all its swirling, pulsing glory gives me control in all the ways I can’t describe. When I can’t physically run away or lift the mental weight of something, I wrap myself in songs like “Love That Never,” and I feel like I can subconsciously sprint in whichever direction I choose. The attention to detail, the sweeping highs and lows throughout the production of each piece — this is an album for the night owls, but not for the nights you want to sit in your feelings to an acoustic guitar. Regardless of where you sit on the 3 am spectrum (on a scale of “lonely and lost in thought” to “fried off your ass”), there’s an incredible source of power that bubbles up through each track. It’s electrifying, not to mention cathartic.
Each time I went through this album, I was reminded of how complex people are, and astounded by how rawly talented TOKiMONSTA is. The production is smooth and sophisticated, yet simultaneously exposed. There’s no pyrotechnics, no “exploding glowstick bombast” (which is my new favorite line ever, btw) – just TOKi being TOKi, giving us the chance to think and feel and ponder over a bass line that makes you want to boogie. I could float away from the dance floor during “Renter’s Anthem” the same way I could float away from my bedroom during “To Be Remote.” I’ll spare you all the existential questions that came to mind while listening to these tracks, but just the fact that they could come through in a way that felt gorgeous instead of grating speaks to the sense of peace ‘Oasis Nocturno’ brings.
Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about the lyric “Just cause I cry in my room don’t mean I don’t cry at all” from “One Day.” It’s accompanied by this twinkling sound in the beginning of the track that sounds like a music box I owned as a kid – which of course, I only remembered while listening to it at 12:30 AM. In those little moments of nostalgia and real-life lyrics, it’s really nice to feel seen — and ‘Oasis Nocturno’ is full of moments like this one, packed with so much heart and soul. I’d like to think of TOKiMONSTA’s latest opus as the musical equivalent of neon – vibrant, glowing, and brightly lit, even on the darkest of nights.
Stream: TOKiMONSTA
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