For awhile, art director Seth Haley explored a different side of his creative personality by crafting Electronic/Synthwave music under a variety of pseudonymous identities, including SYSTM, Sarin Sunday, Airliner and Komputer Cast. After three years, Haley chose yet another new name for himself by inverting the initials of a certain movie star and recorded his first work under his new nom de synth, the Cyanide Sisters EP. Just before releasing Cyanide Sisters as a free download in 2010, Haley resigned from his job as an art director and turned his full attention to the Indie Electronic project he dubbed Com Truise.
While it might have seemed like a gutsy (or even ill-advised) move seven years ago, Haley clearly understood his musical strengths and his audience; his Com Truise alter ego has become a force in the Electronic scene. On top of becoming a respected artist — eight months after Cyanide Sisters’ free release, he signed with renowned Electronic label Ghostly International (which re-released the EP), for which he records to this day — Truise is also an in-demand DJ, producer and remixer. Since the rapturous reviews for Sister and its various single-track, EP and LP follow-ups — including the recently released album, Iteration — Truise has helmed the board for Little Boots and Oddience and remixed the likes of Maroon 5, Foster the People, Daft Punk, Tycho, Deftones and Deadmau5, among many others.
Iteration is the first Com Truise full-length release that features all new material since his album debut, Galactic Melt, which came out six years ago. Utilizing many of the influences that have steered him in the past, including Boards of Canada, Neon Indian and ’80s Synth Pop, Truise also drew on the inspiration (and perhaps frustration) brought about by his recent move to Los Angeles. Although Truise began the process of writing Iteration two years ago, settling into his new environs altered his musical style and approach. Iteration bears the sonic fruit of that shift, including opening things up with a slightly more expansive canvas on which to create.
Whether Com Truise is catering to the audience for Chillwave or creating it, he will continue to champion a compelling and singular vision of the sound.
