Pastel Hell is Alex Fox Tschan, the Brooklyn-based Virginia native who has been flying low under the radar and quietly putting out a string a leftfield guitar songs over the past six months. His latest recording ‘Never Strangers’ chronicles the demise of a relationship set against the backdrop of fear culture. Lingering over each word, the singer searches for escape to the creative paradise Berlin and away from America where “there's a clown with the nuclear key” - no points for guessing who that is referencing. Supporting the cryptic narrative of ‘Never Strangers’, Pastel Hell opts for the simple yet rich guitar strokes with sporadic inserts of violin, synth, and haunting backing vocals. At points you may be tempted to compare to Suburbs-era Arcade Fire or Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes, but then Pastel Hell swerves off into spacey synths and eerie, underwater vocals that bring to mind the presence of David Bowie’s Blackstar. There isn’t all that much bubbling up in new music that sounds like Pastel Hell right now, so be sure to give ‘Never Strangers’ a listen if you’re after a palate cleanser. - HT