Beginning every creative endeavor with an absolute willingness to follow an unscripted idea wherever it chooses to lead requires immense psychological trust. During the long, restless expanse of global pandemic isolation, West Los Angeles neighbors Mike Kanon, Reilly Wareham, and Jason Young began gathering for casual weekly instrumental jams. Coming from vastly different musical and professional backgrounds, the trio never viewed these informal meetings as a simple temporary distraction. The sessions operated as part physical therapy, part sonic exploration, and part genuine excuse to maintain human connection while the outside world felt suspended in total uncertainty. As the keyboardist, bassist, and drummer grew comfortable playing together, they allowed pure curiosity and spontaneous improvisation to dictate their developmental trajectory, laying the groundwork for what eventually became Captains of Entropy.
Evolving naturally from the genuine friendship that originally brought them together, the project quickly established a strange and deeply inviting landscape defined by hypnotic rhythms, lush melodic detours, and unexpected structural turns. Their acclaimed debut full length album The Flea and The Worm was tracked at the legendary Sunset Sound studio in Los Angeles, introducing the group as patient, highly disciplined builders of acoustic atmosphere. Drawing inspiration from warm seventies grooves and spaced out nineties jam sessions, their sprawling sound perfectly reflects the laid back essence of their West Coast surroundings. Every single composition added to their expanding catalog feels like a vast new ocean waiting to be carefully charted.
Given that their latest original track carries the title Infection, first time listeners might understandably brace themselves for something dark, cynical, or spooky. However, this magnificent instrumental salve proves to be just as mellow and intoxicating as the impressive discography they have constructed over recent years. The song gently sweeps the audience straight into an effervescent sonic wonderland that creeps, slides, and glides completely without physical friction, sounding as if it were always destined to hypnotize the room. It showcases a confident band settling comfortably into their distinct artistic identity while maintaining an unwavering commitment to playful exploration.
For a group that proudly sacrifices rigid studio perfection in pursuit of organic flow, this recording offered the trio a rare opportunity to tackle a structural challenge they had never executed together: staying precisely on the grid. Guided by the cinematic ear of keyboardist Mike Kanon, every member seamlessly locks into the steady pulse of a metronome. Crisp, articulate snare hits from Jason Young combine effortlessly with the rubbery, elastic basslines provided by Reilly Wareham. Floating directly above this rock solid rhythm section are syrupy, oscillating synthesizer keys that move in absolute harmony with the surrounding frequencies. The resulting composition demonstrates that adhering to strict mechanical timing does not require sacrificing an ounce of soul or spontaneous feeling.
Accompanying the single, the official music video captures the exact same unforced spontaneity that defines the underlying song structure. Calling upon long time friend and filmmaker Matthew Mourgides, who previously directed the band’s chaotic debut visual adventures, the trio traded their usual trippy space travels for a grounded setting. They gathered inside the warmly lit oasis of New Monkey Studios to document the actual physical process of bringing the arrangement to life. The visual presentation plays vastly less like a traditional commercial video shoot and far more like accidentally stumbling into one of their intimate neighborhood garage sessions.
Watching the three musicians plug in their amplifiers, slide on their studio headphones, and immediately lose themselves in the surrounding sea of sound feels remarkably intimate. The camera captures authentic moments of easy laughter and bright, genuine smiles shared between long time friends, offering a refreshing reminder that making great art should remain a joyful exercise in creative play. Standing side by side in the tracking room, the band leaves zero doubt regarding their long term potential and shared dedication. They project the quiet confidence of a crew destined to sail onward as long as the underlying rhythm continues to call.
What makes this release stand out so brilliantly within the contemporary instrumental music scene is its refreshingly unpretentious presentation. Rather than overwhelming the listener with complex technical shredding or aggressive loudness wars, the musicians prioritize overall mood, warm textures, and genuine atmospheric depth. The production allows ample breathing room around every instrument, letting the warm acoustic decay of the studio space contribute to the overall listening experience. It stands as a masterclass in dynamic restraint, proving that subtle rhythmic grooves can easily command total attention without ever raising their voice.
Translating the casual magic of a casual neighborhood jam into a pristine studio recording requires a rare, intuitive communication between players. Because these three musicians spent years developing their chemistry through pure unscripted improvisation, they read each other’s subtle musical cues with effortless precision. A slight shift in drum feel or a subtle harmonic alteration from the keys is instantly met with a complementary baseline adjustment. This uncanny telepathic connection gives their recorded work a living, breathing quality that simply cannot be manufactured by artificial studio editing or forced computer quantization.
Surrendering to the effortless, gliding momentum of the track provides a deeply necessary mental reset from the exhausting noise of modern life. As the syrupy keyboard melodies and rubbery bass notes slowly decay into the final ambient silence, a profound sense of calm settles over the room. The lingering rhythm continues to vibrate softly deep within your chest, leaving you eager to hit repeat and submerge yourself once again inside their warm sonic sanctuary. Captains of Entropy has delivered a delightfully contagious musical cure that promises to infect listeners in the best possible way.
