- Therapy Phase 01 is the comeback EP from Brisbane’s Vancouver Sleep Clinic, aka. Tim Bettinson, following his 2017 debut album Revival. As it’s title suggests, Therapy Phase 01 represents a new time of healing for the young producer after a tumultuous few years navigating the perils of an ever-competitive music industry.
This EP’s therapeutic value does not stop at its title however, as the six track release is riddled with an array of muted tones and laid-back beats that combine to deliver a body of work that is truly soothing to the listener. It kicks off with Through The Night, an echoey lament to lost love and sleepless early-hours that blends ghostly vocal samples with simplistic 808-style toms to create a meditative-yet-contemplative atmosphere that is driven home with lyrics like “We took love and made it tragic / Where is all the magic?”.
Through The Night’s eeriness sets the mood for the rest of the EP and flows especially well into the following track Closure, which features the vocal skills of Drew Love and was released as a single back on February 13th (conveniently just before Valentines Day, coincidence?). Closure continues the theme of lost love, however offers a slightly more R’n’B vibe thanks to Love’s powder-soft lyrics and a harder-hitting percussion lineup.
The EP continues with Vixen, a clear standout for the EP which features vocals by Atlanta native Raury. The production on this track is brighter, with a combination of keys, acoustic guitar, jazzy bass and drums that are reminiscent of something sounding more like an experimental hip-hop track, or that glorious time when Kaytranada teamed up with BADBADNOTGOOD for a few tracks. Raury’s vocals tie the track together like the big bow on the gift you’ve been wishing for, all in all creating a very appealing parcel.
Following Vixen, the final three songs Ayahuasca, In The End and Utopia are all, purely, Vancouver Sleep Clinic’s own, with each track showcasing different facets to the artist’s skill set. Ayahuasca is an atmospheric, eight-and-a-half minute saga that reinvigorates the listener and repositions them back into the mood of the EP’s earlier tracks, with In The End picking up the recurring theme of lost love, however now with a more resolved tweak.
The final track Utopia is the confident and ideal ending for Therapy Phase 01, with lyrics “Breathing like a brand new man / Dancing on top of the world till I’m the only one left” closing the EP and serving as a metaphor for the healing of the artist’s wounds.
Lyrically, musically and emotionally, Therapy Phase 01 is a journey to listen to. Truly a triumphant rebirth for Vancouver Sleep Clinic as he embarks on a new stage in his career.
-Clare Neal.