Brain Tan - Out of my Body single review

A refreshing, rhythmic melody that will have you clicking repeat for weeks: its Brain Tan with the latest single ‘Out of my Body’.  

It is the kind of electrifying, yet soothing sound that you lay awake staring at the ceiling to in the early hours, being whisked into another dimension. There is something so calming about the flow of the song and the soft vocals, intertwined with the continuous slow beat, that gives the song such a comforting tone, yet it also feels so fun and optimistic. The excited yet laidback thrill from the song echoes well-loved 1980’s synthpop through the rhythm of the bass and the layers of synthesised melody, but this song gives off a progressive vibe, a fresh sound that almost submerges you when Brain Tan begins the chorus each time.  

It may be hard to believe that Brooklyn-based Brain Tan, also known as Rob Arbelo, broke onto the scene with a cover of Taylor Swift’s Style on SoundCloud, but it is a incredible listen in itself. He followed this up with the releases of multiple works, including the heavenly ‘Moth’ in 2016 and his 2017 EP: Comfort Object, which makes it hardly surprising that Brain Tan’s art is becoming increasingly noticed. 

It sounds so natural, whilst still appearing excitingly experimental. Brain Tan clearly shares a passion for, what he titles his music to be defined as: ‘Ergonomic Synthpop’, and anyone can see the clear talent he has for the creation of this dreamy sounding music. The single title alone tells you everything you need to know about the entire feel you get from listening. Even the lyrics imply the feeling of losing yourself in something: interpret this as you will... losing yourself in thought, in music, wherever your mind takes you with the sound of Arbelo’s soothing musicality. 

But what comes next for him? The fear that Brain Tan will be lost in the depths of every other SoundCloud synthpop artist is a worry, since there’s something underlying that feels so exhilarating and compelling about his sound, one which if it’s not on repeat on the speakers, it’s in your head instead. With the debut album on the horizon, however, it will be exciting to see what’s on offer for a fuller piece of work, and whether it matches the beauty of this single. If so, it looks promising for this emerging artist. 

- Eve Cherrill

@evieeczx