Ryan Lee West (a.k.a Rival Consoles) will present his expressive new album, Persona, set for release on April 13 on Erased Tapes.

The title Persona was inspired by Ingmar Bergman’s film of the same name, specifically a shot in the opening credits of a child reaching out to touch a woman’s face on a screen, which is shifting between one face and another. This powerful image struck Ryan and it inspired the album’s main theme: an exploration of the persona, the difference between how we see ourselves and how others see us, the spaces in between; between states, people, light and dark, the inner persona and the outer persona.

Recorded at his studio in south-east London, Persona benefits from Ryan’s exploration of a dynamic production process that combines analogue-heavy synthesizers, acoustic and electric instruments with a shoegaze-level obsession with effect pedals. We’re told that a “greater depth of emotion and confidence can be heard across the album.” It follows the success of a series of releases the Odyssey and Sonne EPs, long player Howl, and 2016’s Night Melody.

Tracklisting

01. Unfolding
02. Persona
03. Memory Arc
04. Phantom Grip
05. Be Kind
06. I Think So
07. Sun’s Abandon
08. Dreamer’s Wake
09. Untravel
10. Rest
11. Hidden
12. Fragment

Persona LP is set for release on April 13 via Erased Tapes, with “Unfolding” available to stream below.