All good things must come to an end, and a few years ago, the lo-fi indie rock project, Mellowdrone, parted ways to their fans dismay. But when one door closes, another opens up, and after spending some time pondering if he even wanted to make music anymore, the group’s former bassist/vocalist Jonathan Bates discovered the freedom of making music digitally after buying his friend Alessandro Cortini’s (Nine Inch Nails) laptop. Shortly thereafter, Big Black Delta was born.

Aside from a few collaborations with singers and percussionists, Big Black Delta is all Bates, and all created digitally. The music is a far reach from his Mellowdrone days, but his swoon-inducing vocals still play a major role in the music, though sometimes heavily distorted or masked with a vocoder. In 2011, he released BBDLP1, a nine-song collection to help get his new project off the ground. And now, two years later, Bates extracted tracks off that album and expanded the track list to 13 genre (and mind)-bending songs, releasing this as his self-titled, debut full-length album.

Big Black Delta does not take any time showing its intensity. The opening track, “Put The Gun On The Floor,” begins with an assault of droning synth. After a few seconds, chiming keyboard tones penetrate the wall of sound, allowing enough space for Bates’ distorted and reverb-heavy vocals to seep into the song. The music quiets as his robotic vocals take center stage, and choral-like “aahs” moan in the background during an instrumental break, creating an eerie disconnect between the natural and digital worlds.

As the record continues, its brashness subsides and Bates proves that he really is human. Songs like the singles, “Side of The Road,” and “IFUCKINGLOVEYOU,” feature more melodic riffs and vocal harmonies, though still through the veil of the singer’s beloved vocoder, but it’s the most straightforward songs that seem to have the largest impact on this album. “Money Rain Down,” begins with sweeping violin sounds and a skittering electronics intro, but as soon as Bates’ vocals kick in the music tones down and his natural voice and man-made vocal harmonies become the song’s focus as he proclaims “This must be heaven / I must be a fool,” in a way that would make David Byrne proud.

The album’s highlight may also be its softest moment, “Dreary Moon.” The track begins with quiet acoustic guitar and fluttering strings as Bates croons without distortion. As the ballad whimsically floats along, his vocals cut out and twinkling keys dance atop a soft drum beat. After the short instrumental interlude, Morgan Kibby (M83, White Sea) sings alongside Bates, creating a breathtaking duet to end the song.

Big Black Delta exemplifies Bates’ range and ability to work without genres. With a debut like this, I can’t wait to see what else Bates has up his sleeve.

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