Track list
Thetis
Clair de Lune
Elliptic Orbit
The Ocean
Concerning Flora
Magma Chamber
Crystal Glacier
On Wings of Light and Time
What Remains of Earth
Memorial
Doctor Who
Produced and mixed by Remco Hazewinkel
Dolby Atmos mix and mastering: Andrew Rahman and Timo Bittner
Artwork concept: A L Costa
Artwork cover: Wiebke Stöwhaase
“The album Thetis 2086 is about changing our perspective.
We humans often are stuck thinking only about our own day-to-day existence—it is hard to break free of that narrowness of thought, the tendency to focus on ourselves only, the things going on in our immediate surroundings. We often struggle to see with an open and clear mind.
Especially in this age when so much of our time is spent dealing with worlds contained within increasingly small computers and there is the feeling that we are able to remain as connected as ever to the goings on in the world even though we stay put in one place… It seems like our minds may be in danger of shrinking to fit the small spaces.
In life I make it a point to try to look on things from above if I’m searching for a solution to a problem or trying to spark inspiration for a new project. I once climbed a pyramid in Guatemala and when I reached the top, around me there was nothing else but sky and the wideness of the green jungle below… it was the freest I’ve ever felt. I get a similar feeling when I take a moment to look into the stars. Perhaps this is a big reason why we humans like to climb mountains, or to travel to space—it allows us to literally see far and reminds us to think bigger.
Ultimately, I think that changing the size of our perspectives means to open up our minds to be able to see through eyes that aren’t our own. It allows us to feel empathy with those not directly connected to us and to the world as a whole, which is what we need most today.”
Thetis 2086
© 2022 Neue Meister, a label of Edel Music & Entertainment GmbH
Thetis – official video
The day is finally here: Carolina’s new album “Thetis 2086” has arrived! The album was composed with a story in mind—it is meant to take you on the journey from an alien planet, the eponymous Thetis, through space to land on Earth and explore the wonders of this world through the eyes of one never having seen it before. Presented in Dolby Atmos for the first time, the 12 tracks mark the stages of this musical adventure: from Thetis, to the moon, through space, to earth, and back again. Eyck draws a sound body of neoclassic, ambient, and electronica with the theremin, her voice, and electronic elements in order to guide you on this otherworldly sonic experience, painting pictures of space, nature, and the passing of time through her meticulously crafted melodies.
Carolina’s intention with Thetis 2086 was to highlight the beauty and fragility of the world we live in, as well as to remind us to regain touch with the big picture of humanity’s place in the universe. “We humans often only think about our daily existence and quickly forget to change our perspective on things,” states Eyck, “We reflect too little and worry only about matters in our immediate surroundings.” Thetis 2086 is therefore intended by Carolina as an invitation to an extended journey of thought: not to a foreign place, but rather to our only and currently threatened home, the Earth. Stated best in her own words, “Ultimately, I think a change in perspective opens our minds and allows us to see the world through different eyes. Only then we are able to feel empathy for those who may not be in our immediate circle and for the world as a whole. That's what we need most today."
From ocean to desert, through meadows and forests, along a valley up to a mountain’s summit. Within deep caves, beneath floes of ice, down to the molten core of a volcano. The heat and the frost, the scents and the sounds, the colors of the leaves, the heartbeats of creatures big and small.
Earth.
A planet unequalled by any other in the universe, but one noticed so little from our narrow human vantage points. Seldom do we recognize its wonders or listen for the whispers of its colors—we are busy staring into the void of the self.
This is an invitation to see wider again, to remove our blinders and view the world with fresh eyes. A space traveler would tell you: there’s no place like this Earth.
Track by track
01 Thetis
The inhabitants of planet Thetis 2086 are lucky: theirs is a world filled with colors and dreams, a place that cultures creativity of all forms and shares this priceless commodity with the rest of the universe. Our to-be space traveler calls this peaceful planet their home—it’s all that they’ve ever known, never having left before.
02 Clair de Lune
A familiar melody floats into the head of our citizen of Thetis as they gaze up at the moon one evening, and as they sing it softly it conjures up questions that hadn’t occurred to them before: what’s out there, beyond that luminous globe in the sky? A blue dot off in the distance catches their eye: another whole world out there, begging to be explored. Unable to resist its call, they embark on a trip to planet Earth.
03 Elliptic Orbit
Having managed to escape the gravitational pull of Thetis, our astronaut hurdles towards Earth. The experience of shooting between objects in space oscillates between serene and turbulent, continually in a stage of change due to the shifting magnetic pulls operating on the expanse. Navigating that playing field successfully, the traveler is drawn into Earth’s orbit and down towards the planet’s surface.
04 The Ocean
The sea becomes the landing pad for our visitor from Thetis. Stretching out to the horizon in every direction, the sheer size of the body of water is awe-inspiring and is only made more-so by the qualities of the ocean itself. From its iridescent green-blue color to its rolling waves, it is a beautiful and calming presence. The traveler finds themselves lulled into a trance floating along on the gentle crests of waves, and they surrender to the water’s power and allow it to push them towards shore.
05 Concerning Flora
Emerging from the ocean, a new aspect of Earth makes itself known: plant life, expanding across the land as far as the eye can see. Making their way across a green landscape, the visitor is struck equally by the ancient trees towering over them and by the blossoms growing at their feet, comparatively tiny in size but bursting with vibrant detail in their delicate petals. Continuing forward through these photosynthetic organisms, a mountain peeks out from the trees in the distance and draws them towards it.
06 Magma Chamber
Reaching the summit of the mountain, a crater with no perceivable bottom lies before them. They descend into that darkness: deeper and deeper into the Earth they go, passing through layers of increasingly hot mineral formations until everything around them moves fluidly, unable to hold solid form in the sweltering heat of the planet’s innermost confines. Swimming through this liquid rock, there reaches a point where things begin to take shape again and the temperature falls. A circle of light shines in the distance, growing steadily larger.
07 Crystal Glacier
Crawling out into the open air once more, an entirely new, blindingly white terrain of ice surrounds them. In stark contrast to where they had just came from, everything about this frozen vastness is still and quiet. The sense of peace radiating from this environment is unmatched, and our traveler basks in the pristine sprawl. Exhausted from their journey, they drift off to sleep in a powdery snowbank.
08 On Wings of Light and Time
Time moves quickly in dreams, and the visitor regains consciousness to a new version of Earth: one that has seen the arrival of human beings. They have done considerable work to shape the world; many of the untouched landscapes of the past have been replaced by cities of skyscrapers and flashing lights. It is clear that this species possesses admirable ingenuity, creativity, and drive, but at the rate it is developing the planet, it is unclear what the ultimate cost of these qualities will be.
09 What Remains of Earth
The traveler now finds themselves alone in silent world. What happened, they wonder, to all the life that had been thriving here moments ago? Deserts have taken the place where forests had once been, and the cities that had been teeming with humans have turned to empty ruins. All that is audible is the wind blowing through this sweeping land of solitude.
10 Return to Thetis 2086
Feeling homesick for Thetis, the visitor decides that it is due time to return to their native planet. Speeding away from Earth in their rocket, they zip past the moon and close in on the swirling rainbow sphere that they call home.
11 Memorial
Our inhabitant of Thetis has missed their planet sorely; they feel like they could burst with joy touching back down on this creative utopia. But Earth has left such an impression on their mind; they continue to think on all that they witnessed there and ponder over what its future may be.
12 Doctor Who
Carolina’s ode to a historical and beloved piece of early electronic music. Composed in 1963 before the availability of commercial synthesizers, the theme was originally realized using the technique of splicing together and modifying individual notes taken from recordings of plucked strings, white noise, and the harmonic waveforms of test-tone oscillators--making it one of the first pieces of music produced entirely with electronics to stake its place in popular culture. Though it has no official past with the theremin, the instrument’s classic sci-fi sound brings the melody to life in the fullest way.