Travel Motion by Suntapes feels like a sonic dream journal, every track a snapshot from somewhere beautiful, fleeting, and full of feeling. It’s the kind of album that makes you want to slow down and pay attention—not just to the music, but to yourself.
Each piece here is carefully handcrafted, layered with real-world textures—like pianos, flutes, tanpuras, and analog synths—captured with the same intimacy as a handwritten letter. The opener “Overland” feels like the start of an adventure, but not a rushed one. It’s slow, cinematic, and gentle, like waking up early to watch the fog roll in.
Suntapes, aka Tomas Johan Kristian Vanderplaetse, invites us into his multi-dimensional world—a place where ambient meets neoclassical, and memory blends with melody. “Motion” and “Plaza” are gorgeous examples of this. They feel nostalgic and soft, with melodies that loop like old film reels. His classical piano roots show, but everything is soaked in warmth and wonder.
“Varkala” and “Galiano” are like audio postcards. The first brings India to life through its hypnotic tanpura drones and harmonium swells; the second captures the stillness of a Canadian sunset with dreamy ruan notes and thumb piano glimmers. You don’t need to know where these places are to feel like you’ve been there.
The last two tracks—“Misterioso” and “Cavern”—go deeper. They’re darker, more introspective. They feel like the part of the trip where the weather shifts or your thoughts get heavier. But they’re also beautiful in their stillness. “Cavern” especially leaves you in a kind of ambient stasis, like watching the stars from inside a cave.
This is a record for quiet nights, deep breaths, and long walks with no destination. Suntapes has crafted something truly honest and full of soul. Travel Motion doesn’t just soundtrack a journey—it is the journey.
