Compiled from two previously self-released tapes, 1/2 Fantasy is the solo debut full-length from Taste aka Oli Lipton (Now, Cindy). The Oakland, California-based singer-songwriter filters energetic power-pop romanticism, ragged glam swagger, and psychedelic art-punk whimsy into 14 lo-fi songs that shimmer with equal parts wit and longing.

Everyday details drift through a haze of jangly guitars, distinctive vocals, and tape hiss, grounded by home-recorded intimacy, sharp songwriting, and an enigmatic smile. It’s pure and ramshackle at once, but listen closer and you’ll find a trove of clever concepts and addictive hooks buried in the noise. Idiosyncratic and restless as it is, it possesses a strangely hypnotic magnetism comparable to the solo work of Alan Vega.

1/2 Fantasy is out digitally and on vinyl LP through Tough Love Records.

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