As a multi-instrumentalist based in Edinburgh, Scotland,
John Bryden spent the better part of two decades playing in a variety of bands before coming to terms with the idea that he had been building skills for compromise more than musical innovation. He soon adopted the alias
Eyes of Others for solo material that grew from experiments combining Krautrock, dub, psych-folk, and other inspirations. After debuting the project in 2017, his eponymous full-length
Eyes of Others debut settles into a subtly shifting alternative dance music marked by murky synth textures, hooky, thought-sung melodies, and wry, playful lyrics. (The album's cover features a tripped-out portrait of a gazing cow.) Opener "Once, Twice, Thrice" invites listeners onto the dancefloor with warm, marimba-like timbres, airy vocals, and a syncopated beat. A touch darker but still inviting, "Safehouse" offers the opening rhymes "I used to be handsome/I used to be good-lookin'/Now I clean the table/Once I've done the cookin'" over a melodic bass groove, and in
Fugiya & Miyagi fashion, it charms rather than alienates. That song includes a spoken interlude, a technique that reappears elsewhere on the album. Tempos remain similar throughout much of the debut, allowing for the vague effect of a DJ set, although
Bryden changes things up midway through, brightening the tone with the poppier "New Hair, New Me" and picking up the pace with the gloomier, echo-heavy "Ego Hit," without ever leaving the record's established palette. In the end, it's those Krautrock-informed atmospheres and feet-stirring rhythms that compel repeat listens, although
Bryden is well on his way to establishing a persona that's a draw of its own. ~ Marcy Donelson
