Helvetia — This Devastating Map
In the lead single, “Reaktor,” Helvetia’s consistent member (and founder) Jason Albertini speaks to an isolation that is at once personal and shared. He speaks about the mundane in such plain language that it’s staggering, listing the daily activities he has on a never-ending list of chores before giving into the solitary stakes of a “middle-aged meltdown”.
This Devastating Map is a study in this idea: a man both connected to the needs of his family but detached from the self-identity of a past self that is ever-present but just out of reach. We’ve all found ourselves facing a reflection in a mirror that doesn’t seem as old or out of touch with a past reality we once lived in, yet here we are navigating a black hole that no smartphone or app can’t get us out of, as Albertini notes.
But Albertini does his best to provide a route that visits all the weigh points of a man in the middle of a lived life, wanting to revisit the outposts of their youth while also understanding there are some mile markers ahead worth checking out. This Devastating Map does this through psychedelia, pop noise, and witty discombobulation. Only amplified by current circumstances and the increased isolation that comes when one gets lost in one’s own thoughts, This Devastating Map is a wild ride of Albertini’s own foibles and habits graciously laid down to magnetic tape and equally attractive melodies.
It’s this reminder that, no matter the mileage on one’s tires, music is tried and true language that helps us all communicate as we pass ships in the night. This is thoroughly summed up on “Love Me,” where Albertini exclaims “Love me/and I’ll do anything you want.” As he ruminates on his faults of laziness and “waiting for you” it’s clear that like many of us, we’re finding ourselves less alone than we realize. There’s a hand out from friends, family, spouses and partners, and the whole wide world. Maybe put down the smart devices and try to find your way back to civilization through the biggest piece of technology at your disposal: your brain.
