Dubuc was born and raised in Caracas, Venezuela until he was eight, when his family moved to Toronto, where he fell in love with dance music as well as hip-hop and metal. Unfortunately, it fails to reach that height, and for the most part, falls into an unremarkable spot among other Electropop releases.Mystery Skulls is an electronic dance-oriented neo-soul and vintage disco-influenced outfit centered around lead singer/songwriter Luis Dubuc.
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The album had potential on songs like “Body High” with the solo piano at the beginning, but it was wasted with the addition of still more synths.Īltogether, the album aspires to be something unique and worth listening to. Certain parts of the album like the refrains in “The Future” use electronic instruments in a unique way, but those parts of this album were few and far between. It doesn’t succeed in its ambition, but it does still pose an interesting combination. And the album’s attempt to blend genres is still ambitious. Even if Dubuc’s voice does get old after a few songs, it still does well in songs like “The Future” or “Number”. However, there are positive aspects to the album as well. It would’ve been nice to see that effort put into the rest of this album. It’s apparent that Mystery Skulls put the most effort into this song, being its only single. The synths are placed exactly where they should be on the track, and the majority of it is put together fairly well. The lyrics are unique, being the only song to not focus on sex, money, and being lonely.
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The strongest track off this entire album is “Ghost”. And when you least expect it, I'll be coming from your room.” which really just give the song a creepy, sexual-predator-watching-you-sleep vibe. Nearly every song is about relationships or sex, with “The Future” having the ultimate example of: “Ain't got no time to waste on pussy,” or “Never grope enough, you know it's just the way I do it. The album’s not much to look at lyrically either. These tracks are uninspired at best, and completely forgettable at worst. The album isn’t trying to move in any new direction on these tracks it's really just the same type of music you could overhear at any given nightclub. Other songs like “Hellbent” or “When I’m With You” don’t even try to bring new elements to the music. It’s worth mentioning the song “Magic” uses the exact same chord progression as “Get Lucky” off of Daft Punk's 2013 release. Lyrically and instrumentally, this album draws parallels to Daft Punk’s in more ways than one. It’s disappointing to see that blending of styles fail, considering how well those elements can blend in albums like Daft Punk’s “Random Access Memories”.
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Whether it’s the choice of more abrasive synths, or just how opposite the two styles are, it just doesn’t come together in this album. It’s used more effectively in “Paralyzed”, but only because the two elements aren’t playing simultaneously. One of the best examples is the title track "Forever", which really grates against the ears when the synth comes in over the orchestra. While it’s ambitious for the genre, it clashes most of the times it’s used. This album tries again and again to blend a traditional orchestra with electronic instruments. Mystery Skulls is an American solo act by Luis Dubuc, perhaps best known for his single “Ghost” off this album, which landed on the US Hot Dance/Electronic charts at 15. Well-intentioned but poorly executed, "Forever" doesn't stand the test of time