Album Review: Sun Centauri — 'Flux4D'

When Alyx Rush declares, “I need my space,” in the first atmospheric gasps of Flux4D, it would be easy to assume the aforementioned space only speaks to normal human conflict, bound entirely to Earth. Certainly, in a literal sense, each song is about the push and pull dilemma of whether to be entangled in the closeness and confines of romance — the hesitations of a classic, conflicted love song. The narrative begins with the romancer creating intentional distance to avoid the dangers of falling in love.

That distance, however, quickly vanishes over the next couple of songs, giving in to the lack of space present in heated, carnal intimacy, complete with intertwined heartbeats, pheromones and temptations. Inevitably, the romantic subject responds with their own form of space — they pull away, “gone to the night.” The initial fear becomes a reality in a mere five songs.

But as much as Sun Centauri concern themselves with emotional space, they also seem fixated on the vastness of cosmic space, maybe even of the extraterrestrial variety. Indeed, last summer when Iowa City mainstays Alyx Rush and Jim Swim — music and production mavens of the R&B, hip hop and pop realm — announced their new duo project under the name Sun Centauri, that in itself felt like a collaboration of stratospheric proportions. Although Rush and Swim are frequent collaborators, Sun Centauri feels like a deliberate move toward more intentional music theming, culminating in this first EP effort, Flux4D, which delivers atmospheric and spacy synth slow jams.

The swing toward the conceptual, via the project’s space theme, oozes through the tracklist and its visual counterparts. Visions of satellites, spaceships, and Swim and Rush in alienesque eyewear, on the verge of being beamed up, fill the EP’s music videos. Lyrically, Sun Centauri pens clever galactic analogies, spouting references to radar blips and gravitational pulls. The music production is just as otherworldly, with its layers of synth, vibrating bass, echoey harmonies and general lushness — a proper wall, or rather a whole universe, of sound.

In the first 15 seconds of Flux4D, a glittery sonic swell of pure atmosphere materializes, airy and untethered. There’s a feeling of enlightened transformation in those first 15 seconds. When Rush’s honeyed vocals come to the forefront, the smooth spell of Swim’s masterful production only deepens in the EP’s prelude “Next to the Moon.” That’s how this newly minted duo kicks off the tracklist: in meditative sound.

From there, “How Long” supplies seductive, pure ’90s R&B, while “Can’t Be Blamed” and “Tiptoes” showcase the acrobatic ease of Rush’s vocal range over Swim’s hypnotic beats. The ending track, “Hollow,” provides a sorrowful lament, as the space widens between narrator and lover. Whether regarding earthly concerns or the stars above, Sun Centauri lands a perfectly packaged musical flight.

Ultimately, Sun Centauri is a compelling framework for Swim and Rush to playfully experiment. Flux4D shows a confident growth in artistry from both musicians, proving that being constantly in flux, in life or musically, is merely a beautiful opportunity for discovery. And despite the daunting nature of the unknown, Sun Centauri pulls the listener warmly into their orbit.