Bliss Nova is synesthetic synth-pop: lush, pop-driven synthonies swimming in technicolor funk grooves, stirring hooks of psychedelic electronica and dreamy waves of chilled vapor. Brothers Daniel and Joel Trzcinski started the project as a way to put bedroom demos to use — what ultimately became their 2015 EP, Do You Feel. The debut drew comparisons to Washed Out and Toro y Moi, and the band was lauded as “one of the top promising artists from the Midwest.”
Their 2019 full-length, Going Places, serves up smoggy, nostalgia-tinged euphoria awash with vintage sparkle. Longtime collaborator Brennan Willis (Ohio Recording Company) co-produced and mixed the record, while mastering legend Dave Cooley (J Dilla, M83, Blood Orange) gave it a sonic polish. Erika Spring (Au Revoir Simone) makes a guest appearance, lending vocals to “Blind.”
With the new-age aesthetic of Eno and Gondry-esque surrealism, the album marks a fresh sonic evolution, uniting eclectic influences from electro funk and cosmic jazz to ambient electronica, neo-soul and r&b. A supernova of samples, field recordings, lush percussion and catchy pentatonic tropes shimmer on the surface, with murkier depths and humor underneath.