FAZE.ONE, Lacrimaire Credit: Courtesy

(Self-released, digital)

As a music critic, I find myself urging listeners to consume instrumental music more and more. Pop has made us all too dependent on human voices and lyrics to derive meaning from music. The freedom of unleashing your emotions to melodies, beats and motifs sans lyrics is a joyous and sometimes more interactive experience.

Lacrimaire, the new record from Vermont native Justin Gelinas under his FAZE.ONE persona, is a riveting instrumental album of down-tempo hip-hop and heady electronica. After living in the San Francisco Bay Area for more than 15 years, Gelinas recently returned to the Green Mountains and dropped several new albums. Most of his new work features MCs from his former scene, as well as his own rap alter ego, Buddy Rockwell — an homage to his grandfather, a neighbor of famed Arlington artist Norman Rockwell.

Lacrimaire focuses on Gelinas’ talents as a beatmaker and composer. Over 16 tracks of hip-hop-flavored EDM and atmospheric layers of swirling synths, Gelinas constructs a towering spire of grooves. Even when he drops a heavier-hitting track such as “Exempt,” which rides a ’90s house-like beat over tittering bits of melody, the mood is still king.

Gelinas is a master of building aura. On “Homestretch” and “Deep Puddles,” he layers and layers, in search of perfect vibes. More often than not, he finds them.

My advice? Listen to Lacrimaire with headphones on, maybe on a rainy day when you’re feeling a little more isolated and introspective than normal. Find the album at fazeonemusic.com and on major streaming services.

This article appears in September 30 • 2026.

Music editor Chris Farnsworth has written countless albums reviews and features on Vermont's best musicians, and has seen more shows than is medically advisable. He's played in multiple bands over decades in the local scene and is a recording artist in his own right. He can often be found searching for the perfect soft pretzel or listening to a podcast about the X-Men.