“Universe Moves So Fast” by Occurrence is full of unexpected musical moments. Whether it’s their unique note/chord choices or their brilliantly disjointed sense of time, this band creates an experimental, delightfully dreamy atmosphere. You will be engrossed in this song. So, buckle up and get ready to be mesmerized.
It begins with an up-tempo electronic drum groove and a synth line that almost feels like it’s blinking. With a brief pause, we’re thrust into a series of chords performed by a fuzzy synth pad. These chords reach outside of the key pretty much immediately–there almost isn’t a perceptible key center for a moment. They climb upwards chromatically but culminate in a pleasant cadence. The vocal melody comes in, following the chord movement and sticking to the most interesting, satisfying chord tones. The textures thicken with shakers and other percussive aspects.
As the movement of the vocal line increases, we start to experience a slight rub between the rhythm of the drums and the melody. At first, it feels jarring, but the more you listen the more the contradiction feels purposeful and quite frankly brilliant. You’re forced to let go of the ever-driving drums as your focus. Now, with a polyrhythmic flair, you must let yourself float along with the amorphousness of the vocal line.
Give this complex track some love! If you like hyper-pop or alternative rock, you’ll surely derive some joy from it. Occurrence is one of the most distinctive, fascinating groups you’ll ever hear. Plus, they’ve clearly got some pretty involved musical knowledge.
Written by Alyce Lindberg
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