Polartropica dreams of the Terminator
Polartropica is the music endeavor of Los Angeles-based, dreamy space-pop artist Cherise Wu. Born in Taiwan yet raised in California, Wu has created a fantastical dreamland, successfully combining quirky pop melodies, futuristic synths, and classical string arrangements, resulting in a genre of ethereal fantasy dream rock that you’ve never heard before.
Polartropica fuses elements of complete opposites with the outcome resulting in a unique, ethereal sound that defies all sonic worlds. Using both organic and synthetic instruments, Wu conceived a visionary dream world for listeners to escape to. Wu professes, “I wanted to create a healing, inspiring, and empowering space with just the right amount of disco-party!”
Her debut album, Dreams Come True, perfectly encapsulates Polartropica's entire ethos, creating a soundtrack to her very own magical intergalactic space. Wu shares, “I get to play and work with some of the most incredibly wonderful people in the entire universe, and we always try to have as much fun as possible.” Sonically the album is a delicious concoction of dreamy synth-rock, fueled by stories of people, animals, world news, and Wu’s experiences as a queer Asian-American living in California.
She recently released the single "Serial Killer Slayer- Give Them Hell," which is about brave people who fight back when faced with kidnappers, serial killers, and predators. The infectious and bold track fuses pop-punk, garage rock, and electropop for an empowering anthem of self-defense.
"TERMINATOR" was written during a soul-crushing dark time during the quarantine amid personal turmoil and violence against AAPI community and seniors; Terminator is a goodbye letter to someone they loved. Terminator 2's T-1000 Liquid Metal inspires the track. Under pressure and attack, he melts down to an amorphous mimetic poly-alloy puddle but reforms himself stronger than ever and is almost impossible to kill. Wu wrote this song so that fans and listeners could supercharge courage and hope whenever going through dark, uncertain times. The track is to be released with a collection of moving sequences, TERMINATOR: DYNASTY, collaborating with photographer and video artist IZZO, illustrating 6 WAYS TO DIE. It explores physical and psychological pain as a means of release and pleasure, perceived power dynamics, and how our existence, humanity, and worthiness live on in everything we love and touch and cannot be diminished to our accomplishments.
Written with the intention to allow listeners to let their imagination run wild, Wu hopes her music creates little escapes from reality for anyone that is looking for a mini-vacation. Having been crowned LA Weekly's ‘Best Indie Pop Band of 2019’ and landing acclaim from the likes of Billboard, NPR, LADYGUNN, among others, Polartropica is an artist to watch.