Derek Simpson – ‘Somehow’ [Album Review]

SoCal-based multi-instrumentalist, producer, and artist Derek Simpson releases his third long player, Somehow, an exploration of the vulnerability and thrill of falling in love.

Simpson explains, “I kept seeing you as you, and we kept building things. These songs came from all that. Some of them were a catharsis and some were like internal boxing, but they all see you. Hopefully, the initial terror that comes with witnessing a 33-minute close-up of yourself in Panavision will wear off after a while. I plan on playing these songs for you in front of other people for a long time, so you’ll have to get used to it lemon pie.”

Originally from Boston, in 2013, Simpson began releasing music under the name Planetarian. Eventually, he moved to Long Beach, California. In 2019, he dropped his debut album, KiNG SUN, featuring “Open Water” and “Nothing.” Two years later, he released his second album, Signs, blending dub, alt-R&B, and laid-back tints of disco.

Somehow was recorded and produced in Simpson’s apartment in Long Beach, with additional production and mix by Daniel August. Released sequentially over the course of ten weeks, the tracks reveal the experimental nature of the project, showcasing samples, remnants, and fragments of Simpson’s unused musical tinkering. In effect, Somehow illuminates Simpson’s musical evolution in a non-linear mode.

Of the ten tracks on the album, entry points include the softly contagious “Saturn Returns,” a low-slung tune featuring shimmering coloration and elusive hints of psychedelia. There’s a gentle warmth to Simpson’s vocals, giving the lyrics a patina of rapture.

“The Circle One,” with its innovative, art-pop-like blend of vocal samples, coasts on gleaming, wavering surfaces. Simultaneously edgy and dreamy, the melody is bewitchingly attractive. Laced with savours of emo hip-hop and R&B, “Gliterrr” showcases the otherworldly emotions engendered by love, rippling with mellow, chromatic coruscations.

Derek Simpson, photo by Jeffrey Robins

A personal favourite, for some reason, “T” summons up suggestions of the Beach Boys. There’s a lingering aura of surf-pop lurking in the melody, with its percolating synths and its lush layers of vocals and harmonies.

Merging industrial pop and new wave elements, “RC30s” is at once quixotic and wistful, narrating the profound urges of lovers discovering each other’s depth of feeling and commitment. “You know I’d carry you / If your feet get tired on a street we don’t recognize.”

At once traditional and experimental, Derek Simpson arrives at a luscious balance between pop, rock, and electronic music.

Somehow Track Listing:

1. Saturn Returns
2. 222
3. The Circle One
4. Glitterrr
5. copilot
6. boytoy
7. In Ur Reach
8. T
9. RC30s
10. Bonez & All

Run Time: 32:52
Release Date: August 15, 2024
Record Label: Trailing Twelve Records