Prior to the release of
Romaplasm,
Will Wiesenfeld provided the theme song to a dating simulation video game, and a similar sense of fantasy, escapism and romance informs
Baths' third album. On the surface, this is easily the project's prettiest and most sensual-sounding work yet, full of glistening electro-pop that calls to mind the
Postal Service or
Vespertine-era
Bjoerk. "Yeoman"'s rippling beats and swooning lyrics ("Come kiss me swell/You're feeling like a buoyant waltz") begin the album's romantic journey, which transforms into an erotic fairy tale as a pair of lovers steal away on "Abscond." The breathy vocals and lush arrangements on songs like these feel like the polar opposite of the catharsis
Wiesenfeld offered on
Obsidian and the
Ocean Death EP, but as
Romaplasm progresses, he balances its sweet sounds with soul-baring. He does so most movingly on the meditative "Coitus" and "Human Bog," where he explores self-hatred ("I'm queer in a way that fails me â?¦ I'm not enough of anything") and how it transfers from one generation to the next. Elsewhere, the lighter touch he uses on
Romaplasm allows him to confront his demons to hyperkinetic synths and beats that could be a soundtrack for a video game on "Adam Copies," and muse about the "subtle hell" of his exes' childhoods on the deceptively frothy "Out." By the time the whole-hearted anthem "Broadback" brings the album to a close, it's clear that its mix of light and shadow is much more than a retreat. In its own way,
Romaplasm is just as rich as
Baths' other albums, and the tension between its fantasy world and real-life concerns make for fascinating listening. ~ Heather Phares
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