2023 has been a breakout year for ambient music artist C.O.M.F.O.R.T.A.B.L.E. The project has released an astonishing three albums to date this year following its debut in 2022 in which four EP’s were released. Throughout all of those releases over the past two years, C.O.M.F.O.R.T.A.B.L.E has shown a knack for creating transcending ambiances that can take listeners through many different emotions. That power of affecting the moods of its listeners is on strong display with their most recent album release titled Drive Octane Through While Humming Tunes. The emotional rollercoaster that C.O.M.F.O.R.T.A.B.L.E – Drive Octane Through While Humming Tunes takes you through moods that include tranquil, mysterious, melancholic, playful, and honorable.
C.O.M.F.O.R.T.A.B.L.E – Drive Octane Through While Humming Tunes starts out establishing a mysterious mood with the opening title track as sustained orchestral strings ambiance is accompanied by a dry kick drum along with multiple moving synth bell motifs. The motifs have the feel of the classic melody from the song Tubular Bells Pt. 1 by Mike Oldfield which many know of because of its use in the 1973 film The Exorcist. Throughout the opening track, more layers of building ear candy get added which is another trend found in C.O.M.F.O.R.T.A.B.L.E’s music. Another track on the album that gives off a mysterious vibe is the album’s fourth track titled Scratch And Grunt. Again C.O.M.F.O.R.T.A.B.L.E uses an exotic synth bell motif over an oscillating ambiance to create this feeling. Amongst the many layers that evolve in Scratch And Grunt is an ASMR-worthy scratching sound that is possibly created from a guitar pick sliding up and down a wound guitar string.
Four tracks on the album fall in the category of evoking a calm and tranquil vibe. Those tracks include the second track titled Tell Me Something Sad To Make Me Feel Better, the third track titled Lament For Australian Hospital Ship Centaur, the sixth track titled Emotional Deluded Wreckage, and the ninth track titled Break. These tracks feature zenful drones and swelling sustained notes, along with tranquil melodies to produce their calming effect. The album’s fifth track titled Waiting Without Hope Of Change gives off melancholic and psychotic vibes with its repeating two-note piano pattern and clips of a woman crying.
The final two emotions evoked from C.O.M.F.O.R.T.A.B.L.E – Drive Octane Through While Humming Tunes are honor and playfulness. The honorable vibes occur on the album’s seventh track titled A Straw Will Show Which Way The Wind Blows. The song’s tribal drum groove along with lower-pitched orchestral ambiance contribute to giving that feeling of duty and honor possibly from the viewpoint of a reminiscent soldier. The playfulness emotion occurs on the album’s eighth track titled It’s All The Deep End. To create this lighthearted feeling C.O.M.F.O.R.T.A.B.L.E uses multiple layers of bouncing exotic synth bell motifs with a later added organ-like bass drone. We highly recommend you partake in the emotional and ambient journey that is Drive Octane Through While Humming Tunes, the new album by C.O.M.F.O.R.T.A.B.L.E . It leaves us excited for 2024 as we are sure C.O.M.F.O.R.T.A.B.L.E will continue to release these mood provoking albums at a fast rate as established with three albums produced in 2023, and four EP’s from 2022.
