Step Into the Loop: “Stardust Bear Bazaar, Pt. 2” by New Laconia

New Laconia continues to baffle our minds with “Stardust Bear Bazaar, Pt. 2”. If you’ve heard part 1, I can almost guarantee that this one will feel like your perception of reality just got twisted into a Möbius strip. New Laconia (aka Alex Syniakov) isn’t just a music artist—he’s a whole world. The world of Stardust Bear Bazaar revolves around an old pub where time loops in on itself. It’s named after The Bear, a mythical bartender of unknown origin who’s in charge of both the establishment and the portals themselves. The first part was the intro to a short science fiction tale told through sound, but Pt. 2 takes it all one step further with new characters, deeper plot twists, and more out-there musical choices.

On a purely sonic level, it’s safe to say that the second part is pushing the envelope even further. Picture an accordion and a saxophone on the same stage, dissonant electronic noise interrupting warm piano chords, arabesques flirting with glitchy synths. The tempo shifts frequently. At times, it even changes form altogether. The suite-like structure, for lack of a better term, creates a sense of flow and surreal immersion that only furthers the illusion of “music as a film score for a non-existent movie”. And every sub-act of the single feels like a different part of the pub, with something uncanny or unsettling revealed at each turn.

The last and most important thing to mention is the atmosphere. Not just the intriguing worldbuilding and concept, not just the almost impressionistic layering of sounds that almost feels tactile. What really makes “Stardust Bear Bazaar, Pt. 2” come alive is the sense of actual, tangible emotion that the track evokes in its listener. The Stranger, with his stardust-covered coat and somber demeanour, is a reflection of us, by and large. Confused, mildly frustrated, and beginning to grasp the gravity of the situation as Time unravels the portals’ rules. “Stardust Bear Bazaar, Pt. 2” is genre-defying not because it’s trying to be, but because it simply does not care. And I, for one, applaud it for it. If you’re reading this, then I’m sure you know what to do.

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