It‘s sometimes an artist‘s earliest creations that exude the most truthful emotion. Substrates is adrip with this fresh authenticity, showcasing Todd Gautreau‘s early, pre-Heartbeat Submarines ambient works. The shifting static tides of “The Lonely Acrobats” and cerebral piano meanderings that resonate through tracks like “This Place Has No Memories” are indicative of his seamless fusion of rich, organic instrumentation and lush, pixelated soundscapes. Guided by their own inner pulse and the filtered echoes of distant industry, each track is a magnetic flux of cinematic imagery and dreamstate architecture that modestly sidesteps any plugged-in flamboyance in favor of sincere, introspective programming.