"In the words of photographer Roger Ballen, 'art has been a way of defining the meaningless, defining issues of death, defining issues of my place in the world or lack of place, issues of enigma — things that you’ll never come to terms with in any real way.' This search for the unknowns of our human condition has arguably been, knowingly or subliminal to each creator, the motivation behind all art. The sincere stuff, at least.

For Kansas City-based filmmaker, actor and writer Alex Harbolt, the road inspiration travels has lead the intrepid Missourian to his newest medium for self-expression: music. With debut LP Am Enigma, Harbolt under the alias Heads or Heads details evolving relationship over what must be described as “elevated chill-wave” and the end result is magic.

It makes sense that a 21st century visual artist like Harbolt would gravitate towards the VST heavy, hypnotically rhythmic and vocally saturated style adopted on his debut. For a green horn producer armed with an already cultured ear and seasoned aesthetic, the potential for texture, color and arrangement afforded by a computer-centric recording process is endless. Look no further than club ready “The Mind’s Eye” and its combination of a shuffling drum beat, tuned 808’s, atmospheric pad and chilled keyboard melody with both a sung vocal and sampled speech for evidence of the kind of layered studio collages Heads or Heads specializes in.

​It’s a practice birthed in the late ’60s by The Beatles and The Beach Boys, refined through the decades by diverse artists such as Pink Floyd, David Byrne, Pete Rock and Frank Ocean. Harbolt’s version favors the more psychedelic, heady vibe crafted by Kevin Parker and solo Thom Yorke with a collection of songs that could slide into any Boiler Room DJ set.

A defining characteristic of this sound lies in its depth of focus required from the listener, tip-toe shallow or nose-dived. This is a soundtrack that can slide to the background, à la Youtube’s popular lo-fi hiphop radio, or become explored through total immersion. The listener who takes either path won’t be disappointed, but give Am Enigma a more dedicated ear and you’ll find bouncing helium voices on “Confetti,” the indie-rock turn to four-on-the-floor subs of “One or Two” and the dusty drum-break and vocal modulations of “Jester” among many other moments that succeed in their serenity. For a newcomer Alex Harbolt may make it sound easy, but it’s far from a simple thing."

- Ryan Kachikis (Divide & Conquer)