From his name alone, the essence of Lil Terrestrial’s music is apparent. The producer has dedicated his craft to the unknown and otherworldly, building albums with the sole purpose to take his listeners to another place, often to the far reaches of the universe. All artists strive for a sense of immersion and cohesion, but for Terrestrial, they pale in comparison to creating a feeling of escapism.
On his latest album, The Story of Sun and Moon, that mantra remains a key principle of his art. A love story told through a blend of electric bass and synthesisers, the electronic album beckons the listener into another world without a single word spoken.
But what truly makes an album stand out is the purpose behind it. Rather than building a space-themed brand for the fun of it, Terrestrial’s intentions run deeper. “There would be times where I’d look up at the night sky and think about places far away from me,” he said. “I would find myself getting a sense of sadness at the possibility of never being able to ever explore outside of Earth, so in a way this is my way of bringing myself closer to the outer reaches of space.”
On top of his alien aesthetic, Terrestrial’s music is driven by enveloping electronic production. Artists have been taking listeners to space for decades – like Herbie Hancock on Thrust or Del the Funky Homosapien with Deltron 3030 – but Terrestrial did not want to follow the same sounds as his saucer-flying predecessors. “I wanted to be thinking ahead and truly capture an alien vibe that would separate me from other people,” he said. “I think this is what led me to really involve synthesizers into my music, and lead further and further into that electronic sound, because in my opinion synthesizers are truly the sound of the future.”
For Terrestrial, that feeling of disappearing to another place goes beyond mere aesthetics. “I knew I wanted to help others find that same level of escapism, so that people that were going through struggles could get away.”
With The Story of Sun and Moon, Terrestrial went beyond building a universe of synths and bass, crafting a romantic storyline that weaves through every summery passage. “This year, love was a huge part of my life, and it was showing in everything I was making, so I figured it’d be a perfect time to make my passion project … When it comes to love I really try to feel every emotion that I can. Good and bad. Sometimes to my own fault. I try to convey every emotion I can, in a grand and bold way, because I love grand and boldly.”
Although album art and song titles are simple enough means to convey a story, telling a narrative through instrumentals alone is a challenge. However, for Terrestrial, it seems to be second nature. “Explosions of sound you hear in the album mirror the explosions of emotion that flood my mind when I’m truly in love,” he said. “I [studied] how voices are used in music and how they work melodically and [tried] to replicate it with my synthesizers, another reason I love them so much. A good example of this is ‘That Love Is The Constant’. That song in a way was meant to replicate the ache that comes with love, and the synth leads really represent that. They’re long and drawn out, they almost sound like cries.”
The album may be a deeply personal project for Terrestrial, but nonetheless, he wasn’t afraid to recruit some help to finish off the LP. “I knew that it was a story I felt I could best tell on my own, but that’s not to knock the other creatives that helped with its creation, because without them, this project would not be as great as it is,” he said. “LUNZER helped create a beautiful album cover to help convey the message I wanted. And JANGO UU did an amazing job with the mastering engineer work … I’d also like to shoutout my closest friend, Handsome Pryce.”
On the topic of collaboration, Terrestrial recently announced a remix of ‘When the Stars Fell’ from the LP, with added vocals from singer Myaura. “I knew I needed to find the right singer for it,” he said. “Coincidentally that was the exact moment me and Myaura had met, and when I got that first demo I was left in awe.”
Terrestrial says we can expect more collaborations down the road, including a full hip hop album with rapper The Nait Sirk. But in general, the producer is keen to fly back into orbit and focus on his own life. “I am finding myself wanting to plan for more personal stories and albums that are more grounded to who I am as a person.”
Whereas the producer’s previous efforts have been focussed on escapism, finding ways to detach oneself from the real world, his future endeavours are turning in the opposite direction. “I’ve spent a long enough time focusing on what is out there, far away in space, and am ready to start focusing on what’s more in front of me, and closer to home,” he said. “I think people can expect whatever projects I end up releasing next to be more grounded and personal to my own experiences because I have stories, and messages from my own life I want to share and express.”