Synthetic Hearts and Silent Cities: Riverlabs' Dark Vision

Chilean architect Cristian Ríos has traded blueprints for beats with his new project Riverlabs, and the results are striking. His debut EP “Fractured Reality” shows what happens when someone who builds spaces starts building sounds instead.

Since starting Riverlabs in 2024, Ríos has brought his design background into music in a unique way. Each of the six tracks feels carefully planned, like he’s constructing rooms made of sound that you can walk through and get lost in.

The EP opens with “Fractured Truth,” which hits you right away with cold, heavy beats that sound like metal dropping. But then Ríos starts singing, and his voice is surprisingly warm and gentle against all that harsh noise. There’s also a calm, mysterious voice speaking in the background that gives the whole thing an eerie story feel.

“No Signal” comes next and feels totally chaotic – like something The Prodigy might make if they were having a bad day. Just when you think it’s going to explode, it suddenly gets quiet and dreamy, which keeps you guessing what’s coming next.

Each of the six tracks feels carefully planned, like he’s constructing rooms made of sound that you can walk through and get lost in.

“Silent Cities” is probably the most movie-like track on the EP. It sounds like the soundtrack to a sci-fi film about empty future cities covered in neon lights and rain. You can almost see the scenes playing in your head while listening.

The middle track “Synthetic Hearts” shifts into something more nostalgic, with synth sounds that feel very 1980s. Ríos sings “Synthetic hearts beating for no one” in a way that’s both sad and beautiful. It’s like a love song for robots who can’t actually love.

“The Edge of Time” gets darker again, with whispered vocals that sound like warnings from the future. It builds up tension that stays with you even after the song ends.

The EP closes with “The Last Connection,” which feels like floating through space. It’s wide and open, ending the whole journey on a note that’s both peaceful and a little lonely.

What makes this EP special is how Ríos uses his architect brain to build these electronic landscapes. Each track takes you somewhere different – from dark club basements to empty future cities to outer space. The vocals, both sung and spoken, give everything a human touch even when the music sounds very digital and cold.

“Fractured Reality” works perfectly as background music for sci-fi movies or video games, but it’s also interesting enough to sit and really listen to. Ríos has created something that feels both futuristic and deeply personal – like he’s showing us what it feels like to be human in a world full of machines.

For a debut EP, this is impressive work. Riverlabs has found a sound that’s both dark and beautiful, showing that sometimes the best music comes from embracing the broken, glitchy parts instead of trying to make everything perfect.

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