Enter Oluse, an artist who couldn’t care less what the genre expects musically, but who rolls with the punches in his own creatively free and surprisingly captivating manner.
Alt Pop
Savesomeone’s voice offers a fitting level of calm and quiet confidence. There’s honesty in the lyrics, vulnerability even, and this, combined with a notably minimalist backdrop, means the performance manages to connect well.
A pristine and professional soundscape creates a trip-hop-like ambiance, a peaceful moment of escapism. Alongside this you get Kenni’s seemingly free-style vocal melody, meandering through the layers, offering personal insight & contemporary references that often feel well-rooted in modern hip hop.
Fusing a little of The Temper Trap with Of Monsters and Men-style vocal pairing, and a poetic, melodically entrancing songwriting style fit for the likes of Coldplay, Miccoli introduce themselves with soul and strength on this album.
These days, it’s incredibly refreshing to hear a different kind of arrangement in the single format. And like a clockwork ballerina winding down to a stop, Malicious Monotony proves it is anything but. Well, it may be malicious, but it’s chock-full of imagination and interesting and brave choices.
The creative life follows pathways as meandering as the artist’s own writing habits, and this track encapsulates that. Both Tolen and Saint Crown deliver with confidence and determination, adding in pace and grit but never so much so that it takes away from the fluidity of the music.
Undoubtedly, Translation is a release that grows more entertaining and immersive as it progresses. This classic and passionate approach to pop is always welcomed when it returns via such an authentic and energetic performance.
Bringing together an array of influences, leading with a hip hop backbone but a notably spacious and heartfelt pairing of soundscapes and vocals, Musical Therapy is almost entirely the ambient calm its title promises.
Zoick’s dream of Sophia begins as the music does – a simple and pleasant encounter – but this is clearly just the start of something much bigger. As things progress, the change in vocal tone and subsequently the impact of the song go on to reflect a stark change in language use.
A massive shout-out must go to the entire vocal arrangement: there are some serpentine, elusive lines weaving in and out and around a rich, beautifully-mixed choir of voices that you’ll be immediately wowed by.
The way the acoustic guitar leads into the beat, bringing through flickers of folk, country and hip hop alike, makes it east to get into the vibe of the track; and to appreciate the creative way in which WAYAL has approached and crafted this release.
Fusing conceptual depth and self-reflection with a decidedly upbeat and energizing musicality, the track paints a dreamlike and ambient scene around the listener, offering insight and understanding in the same instance as blissfully well-crafted escapism.