Christian Kuria’s Paradigm feels more like an EP than a full-length album, clocking in at just 19 minutes. But in that short time, he delivers a synth-drenched experience that feels like a fleeting concept album, blending retro-wave, synth-pop, 80s R&B, and alternate/neo-soul. It’s an intoxicating mix, somewhere between The Weeknd and Tame Impala if they recorded an album together in the 80s, but even that comparison doesn’t fully capture Kuria’s distinct sound. The journey begins with Sweet Revenge, a teasing slow-burning, atmospheric synth-builder that never quite delivers its impact, because the absence of that payoff is the payoff. Just as the tension peaks, the track dissolves into Ride, a late-night city cruise set to rhythm and Kuria’s falsetto highs. Slow Fade picks up where Ride left off, a dreamy synth-pop drift that makes you want to feel the warm night air in hit your fingers. The title track, Paradigm, a melodic, synth-driven belter is driven with electric guitar solos that make it feel like the 80s never left. When Kuria delivers the line, “Anything that you want, my baby, you will find,” it’s pure cinematic euphoria, the kind of moment that belongs in the final scene of a feel-good movie. Things slow down with Fences, a stripped-back, atmospheric ballad where the instrumentation builds and builds but never quite shifts out of second gear. It’s a gorgeous setup for Undecided, where Cautious Clay joins, with his raspy, textured delivery, a perfect contrast to Kuria’s floaty falsetto. If Paradigm is a night out, this is the part where they’re in a low-lit speakeasy, sipping whisky and postponing difficult decisions for another day. Then comes In the Way—the night’s over, the car is parked, a few drinks in, and it’s time to hail a taxi cab. Kuria builds it up slowly, his vocal swelling with emotion until the drums kick in for a subtle explosion, harmonizing with the backing vocals in a way that feels like a slow, dreamy dopamine hit.