Mas Ysa Releases a Roller Coaster of a Track [stream]

MAS YSA – Shame SoundCloud

Canadian-born musician Thomas Arsenault, under the stage name MAS YSA, is relatively new to the Brooklyn electropop scene, but appears to be a fast learner. His new track, “Shame”, grafts shivering, introspective songwriting onto throbbing electronica production and is full of surprises in all the best ways. The track begins softly, timidly even, with sparse 80s keyboards and Arsenault’s gloriously shaky voice. Even in the quiet, Peter Gabriel-esque intro, we quickly get a sense that the storm is brewing: electro drums enter, then dramatic piano strokes, then shaking synths. MAS YSA’s highs are ecstatic, creating wonderful contrast to his solemn lows. Turns out, Arsenault studied at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music which makes his honed sense of balance no coincidence. Additional props to his carefully calculated singing; so often, the shaky vocal game (championed by bands like Clap Your Hands Say Yeah) can get old fast, but MAS YSA makes it sound new and sincere.