Nothing is more frustrating than a tired cliché, especially one that happens to be true. Take “the only constant is change,” which is made anew when refracted through the lens of a burgeoning artist. Torina Gedler, a Des Moines-based synth-pop musician playing under the moniker DEĀ EX MACHINĀ, provides that sense of renewal with an EP that is ambitious in both scope and theme.
Gedler is a proud member of the Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities group, and planned the release of their debut EP APO/THECARY for late July, to coincide with Disability Pride Month. It was announced as a concept project that follows a fictional main character DEĀ, who is capable of both transfiguration and witchcraft. The narrative sees her as spiritually awakened and burdened with saving her homeworld from environmental catastrophe. At the same time, the project “chronicles Gedler’s recovery and rise from internalized ableism toward self-actualization.”
Like the best concept projects, the narrative goals are a tall order to introduce and to resolve, especially in a five-song format. But with every playthrough, the project is best understood through the prism of “change is constant.”
Take, for example, “SURPLUS/SCARCITY,” the first track. It’s an arrangement that shifts around almost tectonically, each thunderous percussion cue quaking the earth and bringing about something new. It begins with a classic piano-pop pattern and vocal, then suddenly a barreling drum sample does away with the piano entirely, introducing a close harmony and wavering synth arpeggio. Little flourishes like this set and reset the soundstage constantly; you’ll hear pianos, synths, guitars and an apex of screaming vocals, all trading off at tastefully selected moments.
The song’s many evolutions are a microcosm of the EP as a whole. The second track, “G/B (GAME/BOY),” conjures youthful “neener-neener” melodicism and chiptune 8-bit video game nostalgia, while the following track “UN/CERTAINTY” pairs plucking orchestral strings with a slightly jazzy guitar interlude and bittersweet lyrics that build with the song’s progression. There are even hints of a sweet brass chorale in its final breaths. Following that, “333/AM” features a looming synth bass that commands eerie chords and lyrics of transformation. Simply put, APO/THECARY is chameleonic.
The vulnerable vocal delivery throughout — paired with this maximalist style of arranging — reminds me of an early-career Will Wiesenfeld (Baths), particularly his 2010 album Cerulean. Gedler also has parallels with Lana Del Rey, Allie X and AURORA, among others. Fans of Grammy-nominated artist Medusa will note that J. Fagotti is credited on APO/THECARY, handling the production, mixing and mastering ends of the release. It shows. The mixes deftly balance the varying sound designs, however unpredictable they seem.
“STAY/AWAKE,” the EP’s final track, features a chorus that is something of a moving target. It slightly changes its lyrical content upon every repetition, challenging the listener to reconsider its context. But what resonates most with me is the appearance of its first chorus couplet, announcing its melody and, arguably, the whole project’s thesis: “Now I’m awake / found patterns to break.”
DEĀ EX MACHINĀ’s APO/THECARY will let you into a world filled with uncertainties, but you can rest assured that there are changes on the horizon.
This article was originally published in Little Village’s August 2026 issue.
