Surrender to the Tranquil Ambience of Mike Beating & Cosmic Koala
Preface: We highly recommend letting the album play as you read.
Every once in a while we experience a project that simply stands out in the crowd. Hundreds of thousands of projects are released on streaming platforms each day, and the lofi arena certainly plays a roll in the saturation. Few projects truly make their mark and cut through the noise. However, today’s subject, “Surrender”, an 8 track ambient lofi journey crafted by Mike Beating & Cosmic Koala, does just that.
Released via Aviary Bridge Records, “Surrender is an ambient lofi masterpiece with huge atmospheric pads, delicate guitar melodies and overall meditative vibes” (Aviary Bridge Instagram Post). Press play above and read ahead as we dive into the inner-workings of this truly decorated chill beats experience.
The album’s title track, “Surrender”, sets the tone for the experience perfectly, with lush synth pads and texturized strings creating melodic tension and depth right out the gate. The reverberated drums create a larger-than-life space for the sonic happenings to ebb and flow within. Deep, rich piano chords and ambient guitar-work (a signature of Mike Beating) compliment the rest of the elements flawlessly. From here, each track flows seamlessly into the next, presenting similar ambient elements but each in a uniquely different flavor. Simply stated, it just gets more and more blissful as you move through the album’s purposeful harmonic sequence. One of the stand-out compositions, “It Won’t Last” had me particularly taken back as each chord change weaves through, with side chained kick and tension-filled, legato guitar notes absolutely drenched in reverb. The 8 tracks on this album are married to each other perfectly; they belong together on one project. When we arrive at the 5th track, splitting the album’s halfway point, “Heaven Sounds” gorgeously reminds us to breathe in and breathe out, to let go of all tension and just enjoy the journey as it comes to us. The title of the track is so appropriate, as one could easily imagine hearing a similar conglomeration of sounds while staring at heaven’s gates, after a long fight with life’s challenges. Utilizing a single release sequence strategy prior to dropping the full project, it has experienced an extremely quick leap to prominence. The 4th, 5th and 6th tracks, which were dropped as singles prior, already have 65,000 streams between the three of them. It’s easy to assume this project will only grow in it’s reach in the coming months. The album’s last two tracks provide a wonderfully summative wrap-up, as “Unspoken Words” contains childlike melodic elements that are filled with nostalgia and warmth. As we move into Blue Winter, the album’s final sonic offering, we feel a sense of arrival; like we’ve made it to where we’ve always hoped to be. The perc loop has a feeling of forwardness, never stopping to look back to where we once were, but never forgetting where we came from. The deep, rich bass, gentle rim shot and simple melodic guitar line lets us know that all is well; we’re exactly where we’re supposed to be. The simple harmonic resolution at the end of the album takes a modest bow, as if to thank us for coming along on the path to true relaxation.
It’s hard to believe “Surrender” is only 20 minutes long when you listen from front to back, as you space out into total meditative reflection, not realizing where each track begins and ends. It feels like one long, pleasurable sonic experience that knocks all stress and worry out of your body’s vessel. As we let the album take us to blissful places, I’m not afraid to say that this record reaches new heights for ambient lofi and chill beats territory as a whole. Surrender is the perfect title for such a sonically soothing collection of beats that doesn’t possess a single moment of harshness or uneasiness. The cover art exquisitely conveys a visual representation for what we hear and feel throughout. If you surrender to the 20 minute experience, you are certain to feel cleansed; born again from whatever you were battling prior to your listen.
Mike Beating & Cosmic Koala are no strangers to dropping beautifully lush soundscapes on a major scale. Mike Beating boasts nearly 300,000 monthly listeners on Spotify and shares with us a sophisticated catalogue of different chill beats flavors; with releases via lofi giants such as Lofi Jazz Records, Soave Lofi & CLOVR. He frequently collabs with prominent artists associated with the biggest of them all, Lofi Records. Cosmic Koala has flirted with the highest of the high in our genre, having reached 1.5 million monthly listeners not long ago, and maintaining at least half a million at any given moment. He has collabed with the cream of the crop and releases frequently with Lofi Girl. Additionally, the album features beautiful collaborative contributions from plutones and floating memories. It’s a privilege to review and write about this immensely enjoyable package of ambient beauty.
You can enjoy Surrender on your favorite listening platform HERE.
