Experimental: Quasar - The Boy Who Forgot How to be Happy (2022)

56 / 100

A flawed but intriguing experimental release, with scattered moments of brilliance amid long stretches of monotony.

The Boy Who Forgot How to Be Happy is an experimental project by Syrian artist Quasar, released in December 2022 and serving as his second album following a debut just a month earlier. Spanning 10 tracks with a total runtime of 66 minutes, much of the record feels monotonous, almost echoing the album’s title, as if asking how one can be happy when the soundscape offered is largely long, repetitive passages.

The repetitiveness is most apparent in the 15-minute track “The Forgotten Ones,” which cycles the same lyrical fragment from beginning to end, ultimately becoming exhausting. Similarly, the opener “I Said This Before” relies on low-pitched reversed vocals stretched across seven minutes. “Harvester” and “Unfinished Thoughts to Keep You Waiting” use the same vocal style but in shorter doses, paired with linear ambient textures that help the boredom pass more quickly. Meanwhile, “Vergessene Hoffnungen” drops the reversed effect, sticking only with low-pitched vocals, making it the shortest track on the album. In contrast, “You’re Not Alone” stands out with its more conventional approach: sampled speech layered over cinematic piano and low violin tones, delivering the album’s most emotional moment by far.

The album’s instrumental stretch comprises the final four tracks. “Old Boy” and “Amnesia” lean on retro ambient organ tones, strongly reminiscent of The Caretaker, though “Amnesia” comes across denser and more energetic. “Dark is All I See,” another long piece, feels more dynamic in its experimentation compared to “The Forgotten Ones,” making it the preferable marathon listen. Then “Der einsame Reisende” adopts a cinematic style as well, but its overly long fade-in weakens its case for playlist inclusion.

Though its artwork nods to synthwave/vaporwave aesthetics, Quasar’s defining traits here is only the use of low-pitched vocals. On deeper listening, however, the album reveals more potential than first impressions might suggest. While “Der einsame Reisende” didn’t make the cut for me, tracks like “Old Boy” and “Amnesia” emerge as worthy highlights.