British producer
George FitzGerald began releasing melancholic post-dubstep club singles in 2010, appearing on labels like
Hotflush and
Aus Music. Some of his most melody-rich material was featured on
Fading Love and
All That Must Be, two full-lengths which reflected various changes in his life, from a breakup and disillusionment with the club scene to a return to London and the birth of his daughter. After forming the duo
OTHERLiiNE with
Lil Silva and issuing a self-titled debut in 2020,
FitzGerald's third solo album,
Stellar Drifting, appeared in 2022. Drawing the title from research about the movement of stars,
FitzGerald also incorporated celestial bodies into the music itself, translating telescopic images of stars and planets into oscillations through the usage of techniques such as granular synthesis. Even though its creative process makes it seem like a heady experiment,
Stellar Drifting is actually
FitzGerald's most accessible work yet. Much like his previous album, this one is bold and bittersweet, melding bright melodies with turbulent emotions, coming a bit closer to the work of indie electronic artists like
Dntel than any of
FitzGerald's U.K. club peers.
Panda Bear guests on "Passed Tense," a deceptively chipper-sounding tune describing bloodshed as a relationship crumbles and crawls toward its end. The following few tracks continue to blend wistful vocals with choppy beats, and if it comes off as a formula, it's a successful one, as the busy, glimmering "Rainbows and Dreams" (featuring
SOAK) and the skipping, wide-eyed "Setting Sun" are among the album's highlights. The wave-like slow-motion flow of "Retina Flash" and the relaxing trip-hop ballad "The Last Transmission" (featuring
London Grammar) are the only downtempo moments, and they're no less emotional than the rest of the tracks.
FitzGerald saves one of the album's most exhilarating tracks, the cheerful, vibrant "Ultraviolet," for last, and its skittering beats and leaping melodies seem worlds away from the devastated sorrow of
Fading Love, even if it's recognizably the work of the same artist. ~ Paul Simpson
![Max Richter: From Sleep [1 Hour Version]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0028947952589_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "Max Richter: From Sleep [1 Hour Version]")
![True [Deluxe Edition]](http://prodimage.images-bn.com/pimages/0602537484607_p0_v2_s90x140.jpg "True [Deluxe Edition]")
