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**Baths - Obsidian**
★★★★☆

Will Wiesenfeld has always been an artist unafraid of emotional excavation, but on "Obsidian," his third full-length as Baths, he plunges deeper into the psychological abyss than ever before. Following 2013's "Cerulean," which saw the Los Angeles-based producer grappling with a life-threatening illness and subsequent recovery, "Obsidian" finds Wiesenfeld confronting an even more insidious enemy: his own mind.

The album's genesis lies in Wiesenfeld's battle with severe depression and anxiety, conditions that left him creatively paralyzed for months. Where "Cerulean" chronicled physical healing, "Obsidian" documents the messier, more elusive process of mental recovery. It's a brutally honest sonic diary that transforms personal anguish into something approaching transcendence.

Musically, "Obsidian" represents both a return to form and a bold evolution for Baths. The album resurrects the glitchy, sample-heavy aesthetic of his breakthrough "Cerulean" while incorporating the more organic instrumentation explored on "Romaplasm." Wiesenfeld's falsetto remains the constant thread, floating ethereally over fractured beats and manipulated field recordings like a ghost haunting its own memories. The result is a uniquely modern form of electronic music that feels simultaneously digital and deeply human.

The genre-defying nature of Baths has always made easy categorization impossible, and "Obsidian" continues this tradition. Elements of IDM, ambient, and experimental R&B collide with post-rock dynamics and trap-influenced percussion. It's bedroom pop for the algorithmically anxious, chillwave for the chemically imbalanced. Wiesenfeld has crafted a sound that perfectly mirrors the disorienting experience of mental illness – beautiful and terrifying in equal measure.

"Worsening" serves as the album's emotional centerpiece, a seven-minute odyssey through despair that builds from whispered confessions to cathartic release. Over a foundation of crackling vinyl samples and pitched-down vocals, Wiesenfeld details the suffocating weight of depression with unflinching honesty. It's uncomfortable listening that rewards patience, culminating in a wall of distorted synths that feels like breaking through to the other side of darkness.

The album's most immediate track, "Yeoman," finds Baths at his most accessible without sacrificing complexity. A shuffling beat anchors cascading arpeggios and multi-tracked vocals that create a sense of forward momentum rare in Wiesenfeld's catalog. It's the sound of tentative hope, of taking small steps back toward the light. Similarly, "Ironworks" builds from ambient beginnings into something approaching triumph, its climactic surge suggesting that healing, while difficult, remains possible.

"Obsidian's" most experimental moments prove equally compelling. "Extrasolar" strips everything down to field recordings and whispered vocals, creating an intimate space that feels like eavesdropping on private thoughts. The brief "Inter" serves as a palate cleanser, its reversed vocals and degraded samples providing necessary breathing room in an otherwise intense listening experience.

The production throughout maintains the high standards established on previous Baths releases. Wiesenfeld's attention to detail is remarkable – every glitch, every fade, every moment of silence serves the larger emotional narrative. The album benefits from multiple listens, revealing new layers of meaning and sonic detail with each encounter.

While "Obsidian" succeeds as both artistic statement and therapeutic exercise, it occasionally suffers from its own introspection. Some tracks feel more like personal catharsis than fully realized songs, and the album's 45-minute runtime sometimes feels longer due to its consistently heavy subject matter. However, these minor quibbles pale beside the album's considerable achievements.

In the years since its release, "Obsidian" has been recognized as a high-water mark for both Baths and the broader electronic music community. Its honest portrayal of mental health struggles arrived at a time when such conversations were becoming more mainstream, helping to destigmatize discussions around depression and anxiety. The album's influence can be heard in the work of artists ranging from Burial to FKA twigs, proving that Wiesenfeld's vulnerable approach to electronic music continues to inspire.

"Obsidian" stands as proof that the most personal art often proves the most universal. By fearlessly