Review
Sebastian Plano
Impetus

Denovali (2013) Spyros Stasis

Sebastian Plano – Impetus cover artwork
Sebastian Plano – Impetus — Denovali, 2013

Sebastian Plano returns two years after his debut album, Arrythmical Part of Hearts. The case of the Argentinian composer is a truly intriguing one. Born into a musical family, Plano became after years of training a multi instrumentalist and a magnificent music composer. Now, with his second album, Impetus, he expands musically even further, where his true genius lies, within his instrumentations. The way that all the different elements of his compositions find a place and purpose in his sonic structures reveal the capabilities of the Argentinian composer. 

The easier way to describe Plano’s music would be too call it emotional. Feelings of melancholy and yearning are overflowing in Impetus. The creator himself is a classically trained contemporary composer, and he does share similarities with acts such as Ólafur Arnalds and Sigur Ros. The combination of the melodic lines of classical music and the electronic music influences is what drives the album into new heights. With Plano being able to bring forth vast soundscapes of strings and rhythmic patterns of electronic percussion, his second full-length is sounding more addictive by the second.

From the title track the listener is plunged into the depths of Plano’s world of isolation and melancholy. Showing off a more moving side in “The World We Live In,” as well as a great sense of rhythm, Plano reveals the emotional spectrum of the album in the most inventive of ways. The album carries on, still dragging you down to more sorrowful paths. From the great build up of “Blue Lovin Serotonin” with the creative placement of electronic influences, to the captivating “Emotions (Part II)” filled with great melodies and imaginative instrumentation, and then offering a twist with a more downtrodden sentiment in “Angels” when the ethereal harmonies take over, leaving nothing standing on their path.

The two last tracks of the album offer moments of grand terrifying sensations with the disturbingly beautiful “All Given to Machinery,” while the closing track of the album, “Inside Eyes,” shows a more distressing side of Plano, with the additional abrupt element at play within the song. Impetus also comes with two excellent bonus tracks, “Outside Eyes” and “One Story of Thoughts,” which will make the magic of this album last a while longer… and yeah, it is worth it.

Plano’s point of view is absolutely transcending decades and eras. In Impetus you will find a classical composer who feels no fear or shame in embracing the modern world around him. This album is showing a tremendous emotive depth, existing also in two different times. Past and future do not collide but harmoniously coexist within Impetus, and that makes Plano’s music terrific. 

Sebastian Plano – Impetus cover artwork
Sebastian Plano – Impetus — Denovali, 2013

Related news

Denovali updates, signs Sebastian Plano

Posted in Labels on May 16, 2013

Recently-posted album reviews

Lethal Limits

Elevate EP
GhettoBlaster Productions (2025)

As far as I can gather Jeff Corso has been playing in bands in the Bay Area for the past 20 years but seems like exclusively hardcore until now. Full disclosure: I’m only reviewing this because Aesop from Hickey plays drums. That said, I generally only review stuff I like, so go figure. This doesn’t sound like Hickey but since … Read more

Dealbreaker

New Sides
Late Again Records, Toll Free Records (2026)

Dealbreaker popped onto my radar as part of a package tour with Pro Wrestling, who cold called me with a Penske File namedrop. This story is a bit of a Canadian roundabout, but their methodology worked: I listened to their music and dug it enough to review it. And I'm mentioning it because, at times, Dealbreaker reminds me of The … Read more

The Library Is On Fire

Degeneration Elegies
The Abyss, Ltd. (2026)

There’s a certain kind of band that never quite fits the moment they arrive in. Sometimes too jagged for one scene, too melodic for another. The Library Is On Fire were one of those bands in the early 2000s, hovering somewhere between indie-punk urgency and power-pop instinct without fully settling into either. On Degeneration Elegies, their first full-length in over … Read more