There are essentially two sides to the music of classically trained composer and synthesizer wizard Daryl Groetsch. Some albums are released under his own name, while others use the moniker Pulse Emitter. There’s a distinction between the sounds of the two, according to an interview with Groetsch: “Pulse Emitter is where I can do whatever I want and be experimental, and Daryl Groetsch is where I just do the calming ambient music that I love.” Clearly, the difference between his last Pulse Emitter release, Tide Pools (2025) and his new Daryl Groetsch record, Fathoms, is typically wide. While the former is a joyful, often frantic blast of synth sequences, Fathoms is a deep, four-part tribute to the ocean’s calm.
Fathoms is Groetsch’s first release since relocating from Portland, Oregon, to Salzburg, Austria, and was inspired by the Earth’s oceans and by Rachel Carson’s 1951 book on the subject, The Sea Around Us. Divided into four sections, Fathoms begins on the water’s surface before concluding on the ocean floor. Synthesizers blend with field recordings, creating a distinct impression of ambient musical overtones mixed with the natural sounds of water.
The first track, “Rippling Reflections”, contains plenty of high-end synth drones, whooshing sounds that emulate the brightness of the ocean’s surface. The long, drawn-out, sustained chords move backwards and forwards over long periods, indicating the massive motion of waves. All the while, an immeasurable sense of calm and positivity takes over. In “Radiant Stratum”, the sound becomes more mysterious, with a greater sense of static motion, even as the track slowly builds up over time. The water is getting deeper.
“Deep Currents”, meanwhile, sees Groetsch incrementally moving further down, with the aquatic field recordings taking on a more prominent role. As with the other three songs, the Bandcamp page for Fathoms describes chords, beats per minute, instrumentation, and so on. In this case: “E Lydian. 50 BPM. Seven notes. Two synthesizers, additive and vector. One pattern moves forwards and backwards, the other forwards.”
Finally, the aptly titled “Dim Floor” represents the literal bottom of the sea. At this point, it’s anchored primarily by ocean noises, the main sonic element of the piece, and the synthesizers drone on in somewhat of a muffled manner, as if they’re being transmitted from high above the ocean floor. The overall effect is one of alien mystery, but without any sense of friction or resistance. Ideally, the listener will surrender to the beautiful unknown.
Fathoms is another dazzling entry in the series of albums Daryl Groetsch releases under his own name, much like Home Again (2022), which embodies the vastness of outer space, or Blotted (2025), which features a low, undulating synthesizer tone designed and tested for sleep. While the depths of the ocean are mysterious and sometimes foreboding, Groetsch has given them an eerie sense of calm and adventure, ranking among the finest ambient soundscapes in recent memory.