Chatterless drops new track “DECUMANUS”

Coming out of Vancouver, Chatterless is the artistic banner of Canadian composer and producer Jayme McDonald, a multi-instrumentalist whose decorated career has stretched across film scoring, television, video games and independent music production for more than two decades. Working under his own Less Chatter Music Group imprint, Jayme has developed Chatterless into a space for musical experimentation, moving between electronic and cinematic styles from lo-fi and synthwave to tech house, piano and industrial electronica.

The project is defined by curiosity and an ongoing desire to discover what comes next, an ethos that sees each release as a new challenge, allowing the demands of the music to determine where it goes. His unique creative compass has led him to creating music that can move from understated instrumental textures to expansive electronic soundscapes, with a cinematic aesthetic connecting the different worlds.

Stepping out as Chatterless back in 2018 with the debut record Snowbank, he’s since delivered an expansive discography across multiple well-received singles, EPs and full-length albums, developing an increasingly wide musical vision along the way. His experience as a composer for film and video games naturally flows throughout the project, giving the music a strong sense of atmosphere and an ability to suggest movement, imagery and story without relying on vocals. “When people listen to Chatterless, they aren’t listening to that genre. They’re listening to my idea of that genre, and what I do with it,” he shares.

The cinematic quality of his sonic output once again shines brightly on his latest single titled “DECUMANUS,” a dark synthwave track built around driving low end and a brooding film-score tone. “DECUMANUS” serves up a grooving electronic jam stacked with pulsing synths, punching beats and wholly absorbing atmosphere, resulting in the soundtrack for striding into a room and completely owning it. Looking to the past for thematic inspiration, he comments “The Romans called it DECUMANUS, the east to west road every city they built was built around it. I’ve been moving those same directions for a couple years now, back and forth across Canada. The DECUMANUS was originally built to move people. So is this song.”

Brought in by the buzz of murky synth tones and hazy textures, the crisp snap of percussion and rattle of bass energy sets up an energising forward momentum as airy lead notes flicker above the immersive arrangement. Shrouded in brooding aesthetic and cut with danceable energy, the stutter of chopped vocalisations add touches of spacey vibes to the driving soundscape while bubbling synth elements strike colourful flashes throughout. Propelled by stomping rhythm and wrapped up in impactful sound design, it’s an engrossing listening experience that’s puts Chatterless’ creativity and production flair on full display.

“DECUMANUS” makes sense within the wider Chatterless story precisely because it doesn’t sound like a predictable next step. Jayme McDonald has consistently used the project to explore different corners of electronic music, with “DECUMANUS” taking his sound further towards industrial electronica.

The single is also part of a broader release campaign through Less Chatter Music Group, with a companion podcast exploring the production process scheduled to launch exclusively on Patreon. That additional focus on process feels fitting for a project built around experimentation, offering another window into the ideas behind the music. Across synthwave, lo-fi, cinematic electronica and tech house, Chatterless continues to go from strength to strength with each move and we can’t wait to see what he’s got in store next on his thrilling sonic adventure.

Listen to DECUMANUS below

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