Review
Euglossine
Psaronius

Orange Milk Records (2020) Andy Armageddon

Euglossine – Psaronius cover artwork
Euglossine – Psaronius — Orange Milk Records, 2020

Created using a combination of physical instruments and various synthesized elements, it wasn’t particularly surprising for me to learn that one of the major concepts behind Gainsville, Florida-based musician Euglossine’s Psaronius (a name which could refer to either a type of prehistoric tree fern or a kind of precious stone) was recreating familiar objects through the use sound. This album has a very warm quality to it in spite of various electronic elements, elements that in other contexts might make music seem somewhat distant, and as a more artistically-minded release, it’s consistently interesting to listen to.

Opener “Balloon 1995” invokes a carefree and dreamy atmosphere by delivering bright synth tones alongside breathy and echoing flute. Maybe it’s not a shock given its title, but the track for me recalls a sense of childlike wonder. Like many of the album’s tracks, this one delivers several motifs, if you will, and certain sections remind me of synth-driven Japanese pop music. Follow-up “Nightflowers at the Beach of Oblivion” is more dramatic, though the lurching, heavier bass synth lines are contrasted well by the secondary parts that seem to dance over them.

Though actually named for a standard 3D test modeling object, “Utah Teapot” conjures up an image in my mind of a submarine lumbering through the depths with its bubbling bass tones and array of playful electronic effects. The subsequent trio of tracks, including the album’s title piece, remind me of vintage Aphex Twin, alternating between rhythmic and more ambient sections. Clearly, though, Euglossine here is more focused on delivering genuinely pleasant electronic music without the anarchic and noisy excesses found in much of Richard D. James’ output. After the somewhat more spacey “Megaphyton,” the album finishes with the rather chilled out “Carneros AVA,” whose title refers to the location of the famous Windows 95 default background image.

At times, Psaronius treads into territory that I might describe as being a bit too new agey for my tastes, but it does nicely stimulate the imagination and would lift the listener out of the daily grind. I also rather liked the fact that, at just under a half hour in length, it doesn’t go on for too long and really overstay its welcome. There’s plenty here to capture a listener’s attention, yet I’d almost say Psaronius would be most ideal as background music while you’re working on the computer or doing stuff around the house. I don’t think I’d put this in the upper echelon of modern electronic music releases, but it’s a very agreeable sonic diversion for those that want more out of their electro than thumping beats and sick drops.

Euglossine – Psaronius cover artwork
Euglossine – Psaronius — Orange Milk Records, 2020

Recently-posted album reviews

Sexfaces

Bad Vibes OST
Slovenly (2025)

Best thing about writing reviews is finding out about new stuff that I otherwise might not have heard. Also writing reviews for bands that aren’t friends of mine is pretty cool but when I hear a band I really like, like Sex Faces, it makes me want to be friends with them, I can't help it! I’m not even halfway … Read more

Unseemlier

I Have A Screw Loose, Somewhere
Sell The Heart Records (2025)

What does Unseemlier sound like? I've been mulling that question as I listen to I Have A Screw Loose, Somewhere for a while now. As I listen to more and more Sell The Heart releases, The band is from Boston, but seemingly influenced by late '80s DC. It's heavy, but more with hardcore-like vocals shouted over moving, building guitars and … Read more

Personality Cult

Dilated
Dirtnap (2025)

I had a hard time starting this review. I can’t help coming back to the fact that it sounds like Marked Men. It does, maybe intentionally so, as Dilated is the second of Personality Cult’s albums that is produced by Jeff Burke of Marked Men and Radioactivity. But I don’t necessarily like to say a band sounds like another band … Read more