Irresoluteness is the latest EP from local electronic music producer and multi-instrumentalist Sean Sundaran. Despite its title being a word used to describe a lack of confidence in one’s purpose, the release presents listeners with the opposite of its namesake – being a worthy addition to Sundaran’s diverse repertoire of musical projects and releases. The five tracks making up Irresoluteness utilise a diverse range of soundscapes and stylistic influences to draw listeners into the mind of Sean Sundaran.  

Sundaran is not a man who confines himself to a single set of musical pursuits. His wide array of endeavours in local music include his work as the guitarist for local melodic-hardcore legends I, Devotion, the synth-programmer for post-rock outfit Summations, and most recently, the bassist for Lion City beatdown heavyweights Losing End. His solo work in the field of electronic beat making contrasts sonically with the majority of his work and is another extension of his musical creativity. Irresoluteness is the fourth release in Sundaran’s discography of electronic music, which itself plays host to a wide range of electronic subgenres and approaches: from the harsh noise chaos of his debut, Crepuscular, to the Ambient-Influenced glitch hop 12 minute single “Anim Na Kaloobam”. Sundaran’s works typically involve the use of a wide range of different samples and soundscapes, largely influenced by ambient and field music, accompanied by trap beats, drum ‘n’ bass patterns and breakbeats. Irresoluteness doesn’t diverge from this, but not in a manner that feels rehashed or formulaic. 

Irresoluteness compiles samples from a wide range of sources and arranges them in a manner intended to create an ambient soundscape. Drum patterns found in more upbeat subgenres of electronic music and hip-hop are used to give the more ethereal sounding main melodies of each composition greater structure and form. Most of the samples heard on Irresoluteness consist of melodic vocal samples as well as sections taken from less expected sources, such as podcasts and various field recordings. Various synthesizers, both modern and analog sounding, and even traditional folk instruments (most prominently on the track “Hysterics”), are used to create the ambiences of Irresoluteness, alongside risers and various percussive elements being utilised effectively to add momentum and dynamics throughout it’s various tracks. Throughout the release, Sundaran also makes use of space and absences in the arrangement by gradually removing drum tracks and other instruments in sections such as the mid section of “Jocularity” or the end of “Disconsolation”. In doing so, Sundaran allows the EP’s more melodic and ambient instruments to create a trance-inducing hypnotic effect for listeners. Personally, my favorite aspect of Irresoluteness is that all of its tracks flow so seamlessly into one another, making it easy to mistake the EP as being a 20 minute single. 

However, some of the EP’s more contemporary electronic elements of the record are not executed effectively. The transition from the ambient bridge of “Paroxysm” segues into the remainder of the track in a manner that is quite sudden and anticlimactic – an issue that perhaps could have been avoided with a preparatory riser followed by a crash cymbal in its place. 

Overall, Sundaran’s effective command of ambience and transitory embellishments otherwise make Irresoluteness a fleshed out, interconnected musical story – an EP that describes the often spontaneous and incidental process of musical creation. It’s an almost journalistic musical release depicting the isolation of circuit breaker-era Singapore, transformed into a holistic conceptual piece by means of Sundaran’s strong handle of electronic production. Although it’s difficult to fit the release into a box, it’s a strong recommendation for fans of both ambient music and instrumental forms of contemporary electronic music.

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