Hyperspace consists of 11 tracks or almost 40 minutes worth of music. 

 

I approach the track with no expectations. The album has a vaporwave cover with him in a white suit, a Japanese car and something like Japanese hieroglyphics. Okay.

 

First listening. Kind of indie pop with lo-fi synths, funky moments and something like mumble rap/hip hop. There's some auto tune, some drum machines, there's an acoustic guitar, and a lot of reverb. As I go deeper, random associations with Chris Cornell, Pink Floyd, and Chairlift arise. Neatly produced elevator music. Hmm. As for now, I'm rather confused.

 

Second listening. Beck always seemed looked like a cool dude to me. I was not particularly interested in his stuff, but apparently 2019 wasn’t very kind to him. I read that he had just ended a 15-year marriage. Some of the lyrics make more sense as well as the overall melancholy feel of the album. Everlasting Nothing definitely sounds like Cornell! I still can't get too much into all this, so I download the whole thing and add it to my phone playlist. Let's see.

 

About a week deep into it, I can say that Hyperspace is actually a very good album. Eclectic and hip, if a bit monotonous, evoking weird ‘80s nostalgia. Maybe it's the hip thing now, or maybe Beck has long outgrown trends and is currently doing whatever the fuck he wants? For a guy who has slept onto a good 90% of his career, I can say he did quite well.

Beck always seemed like a rad dude to me.

 

Personal favorites: Uneventful Days and Hyperlife - a brutal pop/ambient banger!