The sound is his, dramatic guitars and drums, expressive structures. Meanwhile multiple impressive melodies and riffs help build a sense of variety and offer anthem after anthem of soulful soft rock.
Singles
JSPH’s quietly expressive voice has a soothing effect as it pours through, and the lyrics, the concept – all of this leans in a similarly settling direction.
Where it’s often possible to listen to a variety of electronic music these days and pick out certain recognisable layers, in this case – CosmiWave offers up an arena of genuinely unorthodox yet perfectly satisfying elements.
There’s something refreshingly artistic and satisfying about this approach to songwriting and indeed to hip hop – the genre doesn’t confine, but rather, it offers a runway; from which committed and capable artists can take off into any realm of music they choose.
On top of what is a gorgeously colourful and partly organic soundscape, the artist offers up a beautifully uplifting melody-line that’s surprisingly refreshing and addictive all at once.
Offering up a structurally impressive few minutes of music and performance, the track moves skillfully from the seductively melodic hook to the musically stripped-back and rhythmic rap verses – helping build something that feels like it consistently evolves.
Lew Houston needs only the strength of his own lyricism and his ability to deliver and to keep the pace effortlessly. This whole project impresses but Safe undoubtedly makes for a great way to kick off the playlist.
Gold Face does well to go his own way and let the beat and the lyricism pour through in a natural fashion. A bold new single in itself – it will be interesting to see where else the music takes him.
Those happy hardcore vibes are partly nostalgic, but the synths and the way these have been intertwined – even the way they fall back to allow the vocal to shine once again – everything has been arranged with a clear understanding of how effective dance music works.
As far as modern hip hop goes, the eclecticism and colour of this release, and indeed the general creativity showcased throughout, helps make it an exciting and non-genre-specific piece of music and performance.
You get a strong sense of character from the whole thing, each verse and indeed each line has a strength of its own – this is far from a reading of lyrics, this is a full-throttle performance.
Where the opening moments introduce that soulful RnB melody, that moment of memorable familiarity that’s likely to stay with the listener long after listening, the later sections introduce contrasting levels of energy – and performances that impress in a totally different kind of way.