Immersion
WTF??
swim~
Wired differently outside of, well, Wire, Colin Newman opts for Immersion therapy, good for treating and confronting 21st century anxiety and stress, on a mesmerizing WTF??, the iconic post-punk insurgents’ lead vocalist and songwriter riding again with Minimal Compact’s Malka Spigel into streaming, wide-open spaces of dreamy electronica, propelled by brisk, irresistible grooves.
Their immaculate beat goes on and on, agile, insistent drumming, crisp and organic, leading the way, as Immersion welcomes a hitchhiker in Matt Schulz, of Savak and Lake Ruth, who helps them tighten up rhythmically. The trio accelerates and glides along in idealistic, thought-provoking clarity — fearful, yet unbowed, putting aside the Nanocluster experiments of Newman and Spigel for now. Divided up into captivating instrumentals and vocalized sermons, WTF?? is a humanistic rally for critical thinking and childlike creativity, as a psychedelic, buzzing “How to Be” warmly embraces mindfulness and an undulating, creeping “Use it Don’t Lose It” argues for unsparing self-examination, urging everyone to become “agnostic and intrinsic.”
All of us have value in Immersion’s eyes, its openhearted, straightforward philosophies etched across drifting, mutating aural backdrops, although opener “Defiance” doesn’t say a word. Its urgency fades in and out in a beautiful somnambulant soundscape, ephemeral tendrils twisting and turning in an expansive sky. True minimalists, Immersion nevertheless wraps “Timeline” in synth-pop lushness, channeling the Pet Shop Boys in doing so, while “Change of Use” wanders into a kaleidoscopic swarm and a pulsating “Push the Rock” oozes color, pushing away despair and advocating for excited activism.
When viewed as a manual for courageously living with integrity and purpose in a corrupt age, WTF?? advances an uncluttered argument for peaceful personal transformation to effect societal change, politics taking a backseat to raised consciousness. Musically speaking, it has melody and pace, repeated visits revealing more blooming diversity than initial observations might suggest. Go on and ask WFT?? Immersion at least has some answers.
