Enter Sublimitis, known as Roger Ball II, a 26-year-old music producer from Washington, DC, who has quietly crafted one of his most important projects to date. Collaborating with Canadian singer-songwriter Lydia Shay, the two set out to create an EP not just to be heard, but to be felt. Blending forward-leaning electronic textures, emotionally charged R&B sensibilities, and cinematic sound design, Lucid Embers is rooted in introspection, tension, and the quiet moments that linger long after the sound fades.
Rather than presenting a linear storyline, Lucid Embers unfolds like a fragmented memory. From the opening moments of Shadows and Dust, each track exists as a moment suspended in time, capturing the psychological push and pull between wanting closeness and fearing dependence. The title itself reflects the EP’s dual nature. Lucid represents clarity, self-awareness, and awakening. Embers symbolize what remains once intensity has passed.
“Sonically, [Lucid Embers] draws from emotional minimalism paired with textural experimentation,” says Roger, who led production on the project. “Working with Lydia has been phenomenal. I had the vision for a project like this while finishing my last EP, Digital Diaries, and when I presented the concept to her, she immediately connected with it. Her songwriting added a layer to my music that I hadn’t really explored before. We wanted to create something that felt like electronic pop, while still maintaining the warmth and human vulnerability of R&B.”
© Sublimitis
The EP examines modern relationships through a lens of self-awareness. Tracks such as Allure, Velvet and Venom, and Blame Me Later confront the seductive pull of being needed, the quiet danger of emotional imbalance, and the blurred line between intimacy and control. The opening and closing titles, Shadows and Dust and Mosaic, are reserved as instrumentals, providing an added layer of immersion and framing the project like a theatrical experience, placing the listener at the center of the narrative.
Ultimately, Lucid Embers captures the moments after intensity fades, when reflection replaces reaction and clarity begins to form. It is music for those who have felt deeply, questioned themselves honestly, and are still learning how to carry the heat of past emotions without being consumed by them. Rather than glorifying obsession or detachment, the project lives in the space between them, acknowledging desire while questioning its cost. It reflects a generation navigating connection in an age of constant access, curated personas, and emotional overstimulation.
Lucid Embers is not just a project. It is a state of mind.
