Review: Tilian ‘Factory Reset’
Tilian Pearson, Dance Gavin Dance's clean vocalist, has a new solo album out, Factory Reset, and has set the scene world ablaze. Incorporating a fiery blend of psychedelic, buzzing, upbeat EDM pop while taking the time to include some well-placed riffs and post-hardcore song devices to satisfy fans of either DGD or Tilian's other project Tides Of Man.
The album starts on "Holy Water" with a sweet lullaby-like allure, a siren song to pull you under perhaps? The opening track is a great demonstration of what to expect as multi-layered high range vocals radiate and dance vividly over a funky bassline and bring us into a rapid fire chorus. The synthy samples on the second verse is a nice addition giving the song a fresh breath of life. All in all, "Holy Water" is an infectious little earworm setting the stage for a strong album presentation.
"Dose" follows it up, the first single released for the album back in December 2020. The song is synth-heavy, which admittedly, with the layering techniques Tilian envokes on the track, is an ear-pleasing connection. Though, while a single, I feel like it isn't one of the strongest singles from the album, but does feature some very impressive vocal runs from Tilian, feeling more like a bombastic pop song written with a Tool-esque riff connecting it all together. The next track starts with trancey eurogates and goes into a very buzzy, synthy guitar riff that pops off a very fun song. In "Caught In The Carousel," the track has Tilian belting a powerful chorus between more subdued verses but the track is a nice bouncy experience and probably my favorite single dropped from the album, right next to "Anthem," which follows after opening with some of the dreamiest arpeggios and is probably easily the catchiest track on the album.
"Breathe" keeps the album going smoothly and it's by this time, I realize every song on this album so far has mastered the art of strong introductions that seem to want to grab ya by the hand and take you off into a wonderland of trippiness and awe. But the track is merely a brief interlude that leads us into "All I Crave Is Peace." Tilian channels every pop punk in history about the desire of wanting to get out of this town. With Tim Feerick of DGD/Wolf and Bear on audio engineering, his presence is definitely appreciated, helping give the song its own identity. I feel this track and "Holy Water" are Tilian's forays into his roots, demonstrating that prowess his voice has over more rock elements.
Compare that to a more straight, traditional pop song with grimey edges like "Is Anarchy A Good Idea," which is definitely an interesting and different take on a Tilian song compared to everything that's been presented so far. With long instrumentals, minimalist breaks and Tilian whispering his lyrics in a mangled vocoder sounding borderline like Corpse Husband at times, it's definitely the strangest song on the entire album. The next track, "Factory Reset," is definitely a monumental change in shift, feeling more like a rap/RnB song with auto-tuned vocals that could make T-Pain blush, but it's used in an artistic fashion that's a welcomed addition to the album. For years I've heard Tilian say he's inspired by TLC and I think on this track the vocal patterns and flow definitely reflect that more than anything I've ever heard the dude do. The dreamy guitar intro on the Tim Henson (Polyphia) produced "Imagination" pulls you into a wonderful track. The vibe I feel on these two tracks reminds me of Coletta's 2020 release "Idealism" and I'm all here for more artists bringing that dreamy, otherworldly vibe you'd usually find on a Joji track.
“Act Out" has some fun lyrics that bounce on some Disneyland-esque “Zippity Doo Da” keys. I know that's a weird comparison but that's the only thing that comes to mind because there's a certain level of saturation that just radiates early 90s Happy Hardcore or Disneyland, but the vocal delivery and drumline snare are just so much fun on this one. "Hands Around My Throat" is a nice way to close out an album, culminating a lot of the vibes brought throughout the album like Tool-esque swirling guitar riffs and poppy drums. All in all, the album is a fun little romp and as a whole feels like a stronger, more focused sound than the DGD frontman's previous album The Skeptic. Definitely worth checking out if you're a fan of the previous work. Credit should be given to the wardrobe department on Tilian music videos because the outfits are loud and classy, creating an interesting visual dynamic for every single released so far.
This album brought a lot of great things, while only a few moments felt a little iffy by my own ear. I would definitely recommend though; it's a solid album front to back and considering it brings the wonderful team-up of producer/drummer Kris Krummett and Tillian together again, it's a can't miss for the audiophile. Definitely shows a wealth of growth as a musician as Tilian is credited with most of the instrumentals, production and programming. Check out Factory Reset today.