Los Angeles-based songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Nick Flessa continues to blur the lines between music and cinema with his latest instrumental release, “The Terror, The Traitor and The Tastemaker,” out now.

The track arrives as the second offering from his upcoming album A Different Kind of Energy, set for release April 17 via Anxiety Blanket Records—a project that leans fully into wordless storytelling, where atmosphere replaces lyrics and emotion unfolds through sound alone.

Soundtracking a Scene Without Words

Flessa’s work has long operated in a cinematic space, but “The Terror, The Traitor and The Tastemaker” sharpens that vision.

Opening in a sparse, almost ominous tone—reminiscent of a desert standoff or a slow-burning film sequence—the track gradually evolves into something far more expansive. What begins as restraint gives way to movement: soft, ambient builds that stretch toward a near-ecstatic release before collapsing into a heavy, swampy, drone-driven riff.

“It starts in a sparse, ambient nighttime mode,” Flessa explains, “before cascading into something more destructive and physical.”

The result is a composition that feels less like a traditional song and more like a sequence of emotional environments, stitched together through tension and release.

From Wonder Valley to the Studio

The origins of A Different Kind of Energy trace back to Wonder Valley, a remote high desert town in California where Flessa spent time writing and reflecting.

Surrounded by vast, open landscapes—where distant headlights flicker like mirages—he began composing instrumental pieces shaped by space, light, and stillness. That sense of isolation and scale is embedded deeply in the new material.

What started as solitary sketches in the desert eventually evolved into a full-band project back in Los Angeles, recorded quickly over a few days with collaborators from his 2024 release The Politics of Personal Destruction.

Improvisation Meets Precision

A defining element of the new single—and the album as a whole—is its balance between structure and spontaneity.

Tracked live with room for improvisation, the music retains a raw, organic quality. Moments feel discovered rather than constructed, giving the compositions a sense of unpredictability that mirrors their cinematic pacing.

There are echoes of progressive rock, ambient music, and even drone metal woven throughout—but Flessa resists settling into any one genre, instead building a fluid, narrative-driven soundscape.

A Distinct Voice in Instrumental Music

Flessa’s growing body of work has earned recognition for its ability to communicate complex emotional states without relying on vocals. Critics have described his sound as “cinematic, expansive, and heartfelt,” noting his rare ability to evoke both calm and critique within the same piece.

With A Different Kind of Energy, he doubles down on that approach—creating music that invites listeners to interpret, visualize, and inhabit the spaces he builds.

Building Toward A Different Kind of Energy

If the first single “Medicine Hat City Slogan” introduced the album’s tone, “The Terror, The Traitor and The Tastemaker” expands its scale—hinting at a project that moves between intimacy and enormity, stillness and impact.

It’s music that doesn’t tell you what to feel.
It places you somewhere—and lets you decide.

“The Terror, The Traitor and The Tastemaker” is out now.
A Different Kind of Energy arrives April 17 via Anxiety Blanket Records.