Sweden’s electronic visionary Joel Mull, under his ambient techno alias Ica Rus, has quietly dropped a sonic gem that feels less like an album and more like an out-of-body experience. Released on March 24, 2025, via Motto Sono Records, This Way Home is a nine-track journey that pulses with introspection, nostalgia, and the subtle thrill of wandering into the unknown. It’s dance music with heart, techno with a soul—and a fitting continuation of Mull’s legendary three-decade exploration of sound.
While Joel Mull’s name has long been etched into the walls of global techno, Ica Rus is his more contemplative alter ego, one that trades Berlin basements for mossy forest paths and concrete raves for starlit solitude. In this identity, the seasoned artist stretches beyond the dancefloor and reaches for something deeper—something almost meditative. The result is an album that’s as cerebral as it is physical, radiating warmth through machinery and emotion through circuitry.
Recorded between 2020 and 2024 at Reviret, a quiet studio hideaway nestled in Glömsta, Stockholm, This Way Home is the sound of isolation transforming into invitation. It’s the hum of synthesizers merging with the rustle of birch trees (Björkarna), and the nostalgic ping of analog percussion echoing through dreamlike memory lanes (Kottarna I Skogen). Every track is a moodboard of subtle textures and glimmering atmospheres, meticulously arranged to stir something primal and timeless inside of you.
Mull’s philosophy behind the music is just as compelling as the tracks themselves. “The invisible magnetic force of music connects us,” he says. “Our brain works better when listening, and the stimulation of frequencies inspires new ideas. They give us visions of the future, and memories from the past become more clear.” That belief system seeps into every corner of This Way Home, crafting a holistic experience that’s less about flashy drops and more about immersive flow.
The opener and title track, This Way Home!, sets the tone with lush, swelling pads that stretch out like a sunrise over a snow-covered lake. There’s a sense of optimism here—a beginning full of promise. From there, the journey winds into Atomic Spring, where melodic arpeggios trickle like thawing ice over a beat that feels like footsteps through dewy grass. Each track functions like a chapter, distinct but tied together with a magnetic, unspoken thread.
Magnetisk Rytm lives up to its name with a hypnotic, undulating groove that could just as easily soundtrack a late-night drive or a deep-breath yoga session. Neon Attack surprises with its subtle edge—more tension, more movement, but still grounded in Ica Rus’s signature sense of restraint. Then there’s Tom & Flash, which plays like a secret love letter to the early days of techno, retro-futuristic without being kitschy.
As always, Mull’s gearhead sensibilities shine through. The album was constructed using a mix of analog and digital tools, including a Moog Subharmonicon, Nordlead 2, Waldorf Streichfett, and a suite of boutique pedals and interfaces. But gearheads beware: this isn’t a flex. The production remains tastefully understated throughout—nothing is overcooked, nothing begs for attention. Instead, each sound breathes, serves the narrative, and respects the space between the notes.
By the time you reach Are We There Yet?, the album’s closer, you’ll feel like you’ve emerged from a long, quiet road trip through emotional terrain. It’s a track that captures the essence of journeying—not necessarily arriving—with ambient layers dissolving into silence like steam from a warm bath.
This Way Home isn’t a loud record. It’s not designed to break clubs or top charts. What it is—is quietly revolutionary. It’s an invitation to reconnect, not just with rhythm and melody, but with yourself. In a digital age overrun with noise and flash, Ica Rus has offered us something rare: a musical exhale. Something to get lost in. Something that reminds us that sometimes, home isn’t a place—it’s a feeling. And Joel Mull, as Ica Rus, has once again proven he’s an expert in helping us find it.
