When your favorite producer announces an upcoming album or EP, there’s a moment when your heart flutters, when the promise of new music is unbearable. As they start to unveil the tracks, the anticipation from fans and critics grows exponentially from one to the next, until the entire project has been revealed. Andrew Bayer’s Do Androids Dream EP took the same path to release, as fans were slowly introduced to the 5-track EP before its release yesterday. The journey began at Madison Square Garden in October, when Bayer unveiled “Do Androids Dream Parts 1 & 2” to millions live at ABGT 100. In tandem, they’re a powerful intro to his sets as well as this EP, a stark contrast showcasing his duality of light and dark musical abilities.
But Andrew Bayer’s fans already know this. They are well aware of his proficiency as an instrumental composer, as he’s proven throughout his career, especially his last studio album If It Were You, We’d Never Leave. It’s the two vocal tracks – sung by the incredible Asbjørn – that are the most captivating of the EP. Due to the rare usage of vocals on his tracks, “Super Human” and “Tomorrow Boys” are like rare jewels which beg to be admired. Again, there’s the duality; “Super Human” is overflowing with sorrow, as Asbjørn channels a woeful soul letting go of his past lover. Even as the song regains a glimmer of hope, the overall tone of the piece falls in line with “Do Androids Dream Pt 2.” On the other side, “Tomorrow Boys” is a love song, even with the lyrics of someone torn between his head and heart. Asbjørn’s falsetto lilts throughout both tracks, a perfect fit and hopefully just the beginning of more vocal productions. from Andrew Bayer. “Do Androids Dream Part 3” brings it all together, one final composition like the closing movement of an orchestra, literally. Swells of strings try one last time to evoke emotion for the listener, before fading into nothing. 
The Do Androids Dream EP is not unlike a photomosaic; each piece is a beautifully crafted image, but only upon stepping back do those images create an even more moving picture. It is once more, a fine body of work for Andrew Bayer, who continues to improve with every release. If this theory is true – that his ability increases over time – then his best work is yet to come.
Do Androids Dream is out now on Anjunabeats for iTunes and Beatport.
