Paradiso

Paradiso is the second EP from Nick Malone under the name A Censored Sunlight. Written during the time of post-production for Malone's debut, Bloodlines, it has a more dominantly pop and hip-hop influence. The album artwork was released on A Censored Sunlight's Facebook page on November 18, 2012, a full month before the release of Bloodlines, and was released as a digital pre-order unannounced on the ACS BandCamp. The expected release date is April 15, 2012.

Background and Development
Paradiso was written and recorded during the post-production of Malone's debut record, Bloodlines. Malone used the website Looperman to select many of the producers used in creating the tracks on the record. Malone wrote the vocal melodies and arranged the loops made by these producers and created the EP in a matter of three months. Malone described the process of writing Paradiso as "different, but in the best way possible."

Malone released the album artwork on the ACS Facebook page and stated "I'm not saying anything about this yet." Shortly thereafter, the set was released as a digital preorder on Malone's BandCamp profile set for release on April 15, 2013.

Fans of Malone's previous record (which Malone described as "ten catchy songs to kill yourself to" during post-production) questioned the new material's pop vibe after the song "Conditions" was leaked, and then revealed to be part of the final tracklist. Malone defended the new music in a blog post:

"I wrote Bloodlines while I was a really sad kid filled with this nasty passive agressive preteen angst. I'm just not like that anymore- if I were trying to write a record and I wasn't feeling like that, Paradiso is going to sound exactly how I would've sounded. I picked out all the tracks myself, and this isn't some huge commercial effort. This is me exploring new territory. I would've been called out on a second depressing ballad album if I had gone that direction, too."

Paradiso was intended to be part of the deluxe repackaging of Bloodlines called the "Divine Inferno Edition," but Malone decided with his producer, Liz Berg, that the new set of songs wouldn't sound cohesive with the previous material, so it was planned as a standalone EP.

Malone slated the EP for an April 2013 release since it was already in the post-production phase a month before the release of Malone's debut. Malone stated this would "help prevent past mistakes," referring to the tight deadline set by the apocalypse release of Bloodlines and Bloodlines: Divine Inferno. Malone plans a digital and physical release on the same day.

Musical Themes and Styles
Malone described Paradiso as "stylistic genre-hopping," and promised a diverse listening experience.

"I don't think anyone won't be able to find something they like on this EP. I've been experimenting with really smoky jazz pieces, electropop, glitch ballads, hip-hop... everything. The idea is to be that album that is taking risks- being cohesive while not really being cohesive at all. Lyrically, it's a bit of a closing thought and a look back at those times where I was sad enough to write something like Bloodlines, but a lot of it is also new writing maturity, I think... there's a lot of value in being able to write a happy song for once."

Paradiso will include much thicker productions, in total contrast with Bloodlines and Bloodlines: Divine Inferno, which both featured mostly stripped-down midtempo ballads. The EP is a product of "hundreds" of loops and samples arranged by Malone.

Bloodlines: Divine Inferno and Conditions
Malone wrote Paradiso in secret, and revealed the 8-song set to his producer (Liz Berg) after it was finished and proposed it to be the tracks used for the deluxe repackaging of Bloodlines, Bloodlines: Divine Inferno. Malone and Berg decided the set was too much of a musical departure to be so closely associated with the original album, so it was instead released as a standalone. Originally, it was to be called Conditions, under the new stage name Mike Mansion and The Sweet Nothings. Malone went as far as to make a blog post revealing a tracklist and album cover for it, but this was again decided against, and was re-announced as Paradiso under the name A Censored Sunlight once again.

Track Listing
Malone revealed the track listing unannounced on November 18, 2012.