Album Review: Aran Sheehy, Overseer

Much like the work of '90s/00s producers like Burial, Dublin soundsmith Aran Sheehy’s Overseer leans on hauntology.

He folds in soundbites and cultural field recordings to evoke a hazy, dislocated texture of memory in action. There’s commentary of Henrik Larsson scoring for Celtic against Rangers, samples from the Half Life video games and voice notes from friends.

Flickers of TV static and lost dialogue also lurk in the mix(es), but the pull of this record doesn’t rely on nostalgic collage for the sake of it. Rather, Sheehy dips his quill into old- school jungle, breakbeat and techno because that's what the occasion demands, crafting a record that’s powerfully atmospheric and rave worthy.

At its core, Overseer is a badass electronic album – and at its best feels like the soundtrack to something massive. ‘Hexagon City’ could easily play over the brooding, retro, video-game- horror of Stranger Things, while the synth-glittered ‘Mesa’ is slick and propulsive enough to slot into a Jason Bourne film – or, indeed, any 00s action-flick involving a protagonist doing cool shit.

‘Nemesis’, meanwhile, gives the sensation of weaving through Shibuya on a high- speed chase at midnight. Thus does Overseer breathe new life into ghosts – it's not an easy trick, but Sheehy pulls it off superbly.

8/10