Yoodoo Park, who goes by GRMLN when releasing music, just released his 15th album on Tuesday. It’s called “Dark Music in the Sun” and it features some great additions to his catalogue.

I’ve been a fan of GRMLN for a few years now, and his prolific rate of releasing high quality records in short spans of time is something I’m grateful for because it gives me plenty of great music to enjoy.

I’d been eagerly awaiting this newest record since I saw him announce it on Instagram a few months ago, and it didn’t let me down. The guitars are a little more abrasive and each song sits comfortably in its own speed. “Heart,” for example, has a more somber tone but shifts perfectly between verse and chorus with changes in pace.

The whole record has some of Park’s most interesting guitar work on it, like the aforementioned “Heart” and one of my favorite songs, “Long Division,” which also features some of the most intricate bass playing I’ve heard on a GRMLN record.

In the middle of the song, the drums sit back and the bass and the guitar mirror each other before launching into another chorus.

Album closer “Star Eye” has quickly become one of my favorite GRMLN songs. At almost five minutes, it’s also one of his longest. The guitar work in this song is some of the most melodic on the record, but the beauty really starts when the instrumental intro drops out and for a moment there’s nothing but beautiful, simple guitar playing and a reverberating drum beat.

The bliss continues when the bass and Park’s vocals come in, though. The slow, quiet breakdowns in this song are probably my favorite moments on the album.

In a recent interview with NME, Park said that living in Australia after moving from a small apartment in Japan made it so that “now I can make as much noise as I want.” So far, this is a good thing.

I love the albums he made while living in Japan, but it’s exciting to wonder what more time in a less-restricting environment can do for GRMLN’s music.

The article also brings up the interesting point that this is the first album Park has released with songs that weren’t part of a large collection he recorded while living in Japan. If GRMLN’s discography was divided into sections based on where he was living at the time, I’d have to say the “Australia Period” is off to a great story.

Ryan Meyer is a sophomore journalism major. He can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].