On listening to Nicolas Jaar's new bluesy electronica project with his guitarist Dave Harrington, Darkside, it's rather too easy to forget that he's just 21. This is seriously ambitious music, with the emphasis on serious. There's no flim flam or shilly shallying. Just look at those song titles for starters—"A1," "A2," "A3." Jaar and Harrington save the creativity for the music itself, it seems.

Released on Jaar's own Clown & Sunset imprint, all three tracks are hewn from the same nugget of precious metal. "A1" sounds like cosmic disco slowed down to 33rpm; Harrington's loping, arpeggiated guitar work is the setting over which is draped scurrying synths and modernist classical flourishes. To top it off, Jaar doubles up his vocals, overlaying an emotive baritone with a brittle falsetto. That same falsetto and moody fretwork appears again on "A2"; it has a Doors-y bluesiness and some of those minimalist Chilean tendencies, although it's a little too close in feel to the opener for comfort. The EP is rounded off by the dubby "A3," which moseys into town like some modern spaghetti western soundtrack, all grumbling, resonant guitar and distant echo.

Stunning new project from Nicolas Jaar and co on his Clown & Sunset imprint.

As you descend the staircase into Darkside's Brooklyn studio, the cement walls pulse slightly faster than your heartbeat. Entering the converted apartment, the first thing you notice is the symmetry of Dave Harrington’s appearance. In the low light, his matte-black shirt and jeans form negative space between the shine of his boots and his shock of red hair. He holds the guitar, which bisects his body, with equal parts tenderness and lust. When he plays, he whips the rhythm with soprano licks and a steady baritone. Behind Dave, an opaque figure controls the percussion and the bass line. I watch them manipulate the reticent groove until the silhouette steps into the microphone’s aura and delivers a falsetto. The atmospheric relief reveals Dave’s accomplice to be Nicolas Jaar. Together, they are DARKSIDE.

During a break from the rehearsal, we sink into a crushed velvet loveseat and listen to their self-titled debut. The EP begins innocently enough. But as you progress into the tracks, entitled “A1,” “A2,” and “A3,” it feels like searching for pleasure where you know you shouldn’t. The beat in this clandestine affair has just enough restraint. By the time DARKSIDE concludes, you know the catharsis is worth the sin.