Nice Music presents the debut full length from Melbourne's Simon J Karis, 'Madrugada' - an all-encompassing work, earnestly detailing the anatomy of the nighttime psyche. Karis has crafted an ambitious narrative arc, tangible through the presence of sculpted sound and ecstatic melody alone rather than words or literal description. Visceral thought patterns both fleeting and consuming during leisure time swarm and writhe for their place; ingrained neurosis, the pursuit of pleasurable life experience, the impulse to forget for a while, the desire to be present. This tension shades 'Madrugada' profoundly throughout, however the consuming focus is on bliss and release. Massive swathes of lush synth charges and moving melodic interplay blanket the skies in a way that is affecting, humanistic and often heartbreakingly joyful. The sound sources themselves, a half-remembered spectrum, spilling from people in their places (home, the club, a regional escape, urban congestion), dressed in the intimacy of solitary contemplation after dusk. 'Madrugada' is a touching, introspective travelogue in learning one's self - forget the world and love your friends. For fans of Emeralds, Alessandro Cortini.