Kindled-With-Catharsis Orchestral Pop Burns Bright in ‘Back at the Campfire’ by Tristan Blaskowitz –

Fuse the glow of Fireflies by Owl City into the often otherworldly sincerity of The Flaming Lips, incorporate the enrapturing tenderness in the colourful world of Mike Oldfield, and you’re left with the whimsical mesmerism of Back at the Campfire from Tristan Blaskowitz’s kindled-with-catharsis LP, Short Stories, where the lines between fantasy and legacy blur through the scintillating sonic sleights of hand by the German-Canadian composer, keyboardist and filmmaker. Featuring Greg Van Kerkhof, the release is shaped by a self-taught musician whose work across film, theatre and video games has clearly sharpened his feel for atmosphere, arrangement and emotional pacing.

Hit play, and you’ll find yourself instantly immersed in the expansive intimacy of a campfire-lit woodland, where vignettes of history lift with the embers. There’s a deep sincerity to the polyphonic production, one tempered by Blaskowitz’s cultivated touch, which refuses to lean on posterity or saccharine tricks to force emotional investment. Instead, the semi-psychedelic revelation of the single rests in his ability to place soul within the grandeur of cinematic orchestral pop.

Back at the Campfire is now available on all major streaming platforms, including YouTube.

Review by Amelia Vandergast