Release Date: March 12, 2013
Label: Crash Symbols
Clubhouse Split is a four-way split between dream-pop artists Emily Reo, Yohuna, Brown Bread, and MoonLasso, each of whom contributes two songs. The songs aren't organized in any particular way, but the album flows well and there are no jarring transitions between tracks. At the same time, that's not to say that the songs are all so similar that they could be by the same artist. All four women take heavily from the usual dream-pop palette of shimmery synths and heavy reverb, yet each has a unique set of tools and preferences that are easy to pick up on.
Emily Reo's two tracks make use of glossy programmed drums and clean synths, with an underlying, nearly-hidden layer of psychedelic background noise. Her album opener, “Peach”, starts so clean that it's reminiscent of chiptune, and slowly comes more and more alive, until it's become a storm of satellite beeps and distorted synthesizer wails. Yohuna's warm, analog-sounding synths on “Creep Date” and “Westerlies” bring Boards of Canada to mind, while creating a free and shapeless feeling. On the former, it's ominous, but on the latter, it's comforting.
Clubhouse Split feels like a conversation between four people who've just met and immediately become good friends. While each person uses their two tracks to represent themselves as fully as possible, they take to each other so naturally that their similarities and differences shine equally.
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