Zachary Mason evokes emotions and cosmic groove with debut EP “5…4…3…2…1…”

Zachary Mason’s debut EP, “5…4…3…2…1…,” is a soundtrack, a coherent piece in narrative structure. In just three tracks, spanning 16 tight, inventive minutes, Mason spins out a tale that is as much a sci-fi odyssey as a human confession, with nifty production and more emotional gravity than you might expect.

The opening song, “5…4…3…2…1…” sets things up with a countdown that does and does not matter. Against a pulsing, insistent beat, Mason paints a soundscape of evacuations and crumbling futures. The mix here by Derrick Lin is stellar, synths tremble like heat waves, Nate Barnes’s drumming keeps everything moving, and John Thomasson’s bass grooves stabilize the chaos, adding propulsion to the song. It’s the type of opening that calls for you to lean in and hold on tight.

The second track, “The Funky Martians,” makes that swerve from apocalypse to the ridiculous, in all the best and most figurative senses of those words. It’s wild, whimsical, and the rhythm section pops, and production crackles with personality. Mason subtly preserves the commentary that people escape one world only to recreate strife in another. The lucky mistake that keeps them alive seems a wink at our species’ chaotic resilience.

The final song, “Earthsick,” brings it all back home in both the literal and emotional sense. Here, Mason plays composer and bassist, employing a keyboard to take the low end out of the clouds while he’s at it. The lyrics cast a thoughtful ache for the planet we destroyed.

“5…4…3…2…1…” is a debut of striking confidence. Mason’s story is audacious, and the palette he employs is both theatrical and grounded. By blending intergalactic fantasy with everyday grief, he has assembled something viscerally human beneath the cosmic dust. Ultimately, “5…4…3…2…1…” is a countdown to realization. Humanity may have its exodus from Earth, but Mason reminds us that we can’t escape ourselves.

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