Like other children of
the Beatles,
Dhani Harrison found himself drawn to music and, like all of the members of this select group, he was reluctant to capitalize on his famous father. He initially solved this problem by burying himself within the confines of
thenewno2, a band he formed in 2002, but after a decade of playing with the group, he decided to pursue a solo career. Maybe this 15 years of experience is the reason why 2017's
IN///PARALLEL doesn't feel tentative in the way so many first albums do.
Harrison exudes a quiet confidence, letting
IN///PARALLEL unfold surely and steadily, keeping the music meditative and slightly trippy. By some criteria, the circular melodies could be classified as psychedelic, but
Harrison's concerns are in the present, not the past. He layers
IN///PARALLEL with all manner of electronics, relying on drum loops and synthesizers to create his darkly alluring pop. While he has hooks,
Harrison is less interested in songs than he is in sustaining a mood, which is why
IN///PARALLEL isn't an immediate attention-grabber. Instead, it unfurls slowly, with its melodies sinking into the subconscious on repeated listens -- and those listens will happen, because the mood is tantalizing enough to invite a second spin. Far from seeming aimless, the spaciness is controlled: guitars and bass build to occasional crescendos that then fall back to earth, and the prolonged periods of murmuring electronics do not lack texture or tension. It's this almost cinematic pacing that gives
IN///PARALLEL its unique appeal. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine