Escapism has always formed the connective tissue between songwriter Jacob Chisenhall’s music. His last release under the Delorean Gray moniker, Star Tropics, dealt in dreamy sonic reveries, chronicling his protagonist’s interstellar journey to combat the nefarious Aristonauts. Similarly, the bulk of his previous band Fake Flowers’ output — including an unreleased full-length — carved out surreal soundscapes where deep-seeded sorrows and anxieties could go to hide. On his latest album as Delorean Gray, though, the longtime Atlantan sets a course straight for the heart of the struggle, confronting his troubles head-on and shedding the skin of a once apprehensive songwriter. On Otaku Punk, his third release as Delorean Gray, Chisenhall lays bare a tumultuous fallout in his most direct and mature work to date, all wrapped up in the sci-fi sheen of his protagonist’s own adventure.
Otaku Punk was crafted as a contrast piece to Star Tropics, both musically and narratively. The storyline tells of a winter spent in near isolation, mirroring Chisenhall’s own bout with depression, during which he finally came to terms with the dissolution of Fake Flowers. As Delorean and his crew head towards the Aristonaut’s hideout, they enter hibernation chambers to pass the time. Locked into a reality simulation called The Frontier, the team bask in a neon-teamed city devoid of laws and consequence — until the Aristonauts get wise to their plan and hack into their defenseless minds, that is. Now stranded in a hostile virtual wasteland, Delorean must find his crew and escape back to the waking world.
In a landscape full of immaculately crafted digital sounds, Otaku Punk takes a more deconstructive approach, utilizing old-school music gear like Synth Saxophones and digi-drums to create new sounds by recycling older instruments and samples. In comparison to the last album’s lush, low-key gauze, Otaku Punk features more up-tempo tunes filled with glittery synths, channeling influence from new wave, R&B, and even metal. Gary Numan, Devo, and the Cure were all sources of inspiration.
On top of Chisenhall’s own new approaches to songwriting, frequent collaborator Freeman Leverett and recent Delorean Gray addition Jason Bronson are now fixtures in the live band, and as such, their influence on the album is unmistakable, lending Otaku Punk a more expansive and collaborative feel. The album also features guest appearances by Jake Aron of Moloq, Meredith Law of Palm Sunday, and Noah Kittinger of Bedroom.