‘Infinite Health’ is the engrossing sixth album by Tycho, the two-time-GRAMMY-nominated project of celebrated San Francisco songwriter, musician and producer Scott Hansen. The album will be released on August 30 via Mom + Pop Records in the U.S. and Ninja Tune in the rest of the world, and is announced today with lead single and accompanying video, “Phantom”.
Hansen says 'Infinite Health' is "about hope for the future and a requiem for the past." He explains: "I kept thinking back to the high-water mark scene in Fear and Loathing, the author sitting at a typewriter looking out a window onto his past, trying to find meaning in the chaos. Infinite Health is about creating a space for healing and reflection, a mantra for spiritual, emotional, and physical healing. At the end of the day, all we really have is our health – both physical and mental – and we wish infinite health to our family and friends. So in those ways, infinite health is a salutation and an imperative."
Sonically, the record sees him return to a more electronic-based production style, "focusing on breaks, drums and rhythmic elements" he says. "Then, using that as the foundation, and having all the instrumentation follow that lead, as opposed to the other way around.”
The results sparkle, none-more-so than on lead single, “Phantom”, which Hansen sites as his favourite track on the album. Accompanied by a suitably iridescent, 80’s-influenced visual, the up-beat track sees Tycho’s trademark sound imbued with an Italo Disco neon noir. "I wanted it to feel like a blend of lights in a nightclub with some unknown entity. The phantom; a moving and shifting intelligence that serves as a conduit, maybe a deeper understanding of what's beneath the surface of this all" he comments. "It's also about coming to terms with mortality (the phantom being the ever present spectre of mortality)."
The accompanying video was created in collaboration with visual artist Ricardo Ponce aka Pixel Flux, who made the animations, and was edited and directed by Hansen.
Since the project’s inception in 2001, Scott Hansen has continued to evolve the Tycho sound as a leader in the electronic arena. Along the way, Tycho has earned two GRAMMY nominations and produced remixes and collaborated with countless notable artists such as ODESZA, Maggie Rogers, Little Dragon, Leon Bridges, and Death Cab for Cutie.
Now, Hansen has followed up 2020’s 'Simulcast' — a sister album to 2019’s 'Weather' — with this captivating new offering. Although it retains the personnel of recent works — as usual, Zac Brown shares guitar, and Rory O’Connor’s behind the kit — Hansen considers 'Infinite Health' to mark a fourth era for Tycho.
Hansen dove into the ‘Infinite Health’ recording process with aural distinctiveness, and concision, as artistic goals. “The big overarching concept, at least on the technical side, is ‘Let’s try to make this sound as different as possible, while still holding true to our roots” he explains.
These were partly achieved through an emphasis on the uptempo, danceable elements of Tycho’s sound, and keen co-production by Grizzly Bear’s Chris Taylor. By utilizing a palette of chopped up drums and warm, rounded guitars, 'Infinite Health' becomes its own miniature world.
‘Infinite Health’ is your waystation to a fresh, updated world for Tycho. After more than two decades, Hansen’s still at the vanguard of electronic music — with so much more to say through his samplers and synths.
