Control is heavy on the vibes and light on gravity. Scattered melodies cascade gently as a vocal duet winds its way inside my head. The male side of this duet, performed by Cameron Wilson, pulses with a rhythmic flow whilst the female half, from Michaela Lusteg, seemingly calls from afar.
Plaster Cast originally existed across the bedrooms and living spaces inhabited by producer Alex Ask and vocalist Wilson, back in 2011. Their diverse geography saw them create this project within Southern California, the Pacific Northwest, the Midwestern Desert and New York City, and you can detect hints of that geography within Plaster Cast’s sound. Over time, the duo grew into something larger — Wilson’s sister, Lusteg joined as second vocalist, and producer and engineer Brah1m rounded out what was now a four-piece.
The song Control comes from Plaster Cast’s forthcoming EP of the same name, due out on 12 August. Referencing peers that include both Chromatics and Yumi Zouma, there is a wonderfully cinematic and atmospheric feeling to their music. Control charts a path into some sort of intersection of Balearic chill wave meets lo-fi bedroom pop. It is beautiful, organic, and restrained.
Control is about the need to relinquish some notion of control in order to find calm and connection. Talking about a common theme of their music, Wilson says:
“The songs are connected by themes of remoteness and looking at relationships as a negotiation of what you get and what you give up. Ultimately, the work of looking at your place in your relationships is worth the pain it can cause, as we are useless alone.”
Check out the video for Control below, and look out for the EP in August.