VANCOUVER SLEEP CLINIC

THERAPY PHASE 02

(EP Review)

Reviewer: Georgia Dickinson

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Tim Bettinson, better known under his moniker of Vancouver Sleep Clinic, has always been known for his smoothing vocals and dreamy instrumentals. Previous releases like 2017’s Revival saw Bettinson’s work as the musical backdrop to TV shows like Suits, Catfish: The TV Show and The Vampire Diaries. Now, in 2018, Vancouver Sleep Clinic begins their multi-part project Therapy, with its first instalment showcasing a blend of melancholic ambience and uplifting pop tendencies. However, Therapy Phase 02 displays a new direction for Bettinson. A direction that shifts Bettinson from an indie pop prince to an ambient R&B deity.

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EP opener Babylon begins with Bettinson isolated with a piano and his voice. Babylon is a vivid beginning to this release, with Imogen Heap-esque vocal effects and an intense instrumental solo at its core. But the tone of this EP can be seen in its syncopation, reminiscent of popular R&B artists like Post Malone and Lil Uzi Vert. Babylon still has that Vancouver Sleep Clinic ambience that fans have come to know and love, but its ferocious undertones gives us hints of what to expect in the forthcoming tracks.

The soft piano tones of Babylon is softly drowned out and replaced with 808s and chopped up vocal snippets in Silver Lining. What sets Therapy Phase 02 from other Vancouver Sleep Clinic releases is the sombre lyricism about Bettinson’s year-long legal battle with his previous record label. The soft vocals of Bettinson sound tired as he talks in metaphors about losing someone he cares about to the power of fame. It’s a more vulnerable side of Vancouver Sleep Clinic we’ve never seen before, but Tim Bettinson seems to make everything he creates into perfectly cut diamonds.

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Trippin continues on the theme of dark ambient R&B, with Bettinson expanding his delivery of vocals. The choruses are extremely robotic whilst we see Bettinson attempt a crossover of singing and rapping. It’s extremely out of the box for Vancouver Sleep Clinic. However, with these techniques, the dark instrumentals and feature from upcoming Maryland rapper IDK, it creates a vivid image of Bettinson’s frustration.

Bloodshot’s instrumentals are extremely dynamic. The piano melody has been altered to sound like you’re underwater, however, Bettinson’s vocals are extremely crisp. He speaks of a toxic relationship that he is addicted to and the juxtaposition of the instrumentals on this track enforces what Bettinson preaches in his words throughout this EP.

Isabelle is the closest we see to the Revival era of Vancouver Sleep Clinic or the peaceful track Ayahuasca off Therapy Phase 01. It’s a calming guitar melody, followed by light 808s and Bettinson’s vocals and a rush of ambience you rarely feel in this release. It’s a melancholic feeling that reminisces on Vancouver Sleep Clinic’s beginnings with his debut Winter and an transformative ending to close off the second phase of Therapy.

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In an interview, Bettinson stated that Therapy Phase 02 was “colder, darker and probably the biggest step in a different direction I’ve taken to date” and that is extremely reflective upon this entire release. Therapy Phase 02 deeply expresses the darkest part of Bettinson’s career to date, with instrumentals and lyricism dressed to the nines. Despite being extremely different to previous releases, there’s a sense of honesty and clarity in the Therapy series that filter as a catharsis to the past year of Bettinson’s life. It’s a direction that puts Bettinson in uncharted territory and a direction that will continue to take Vancouver Sleep Clinic to new stages of its life as a musical entity.

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