Sometimes you’re unexpectedly blessed with a special moment among something brand new – the work of an artist you haven’t listened to before, can seemingly come out of nowhere and change your entire day. Daud Aur Yahudy’s EP Home Bound offers one of those moments.
To begin with, the overall sound of his music is soaked in individuality – whether it’s a solo piano piece or a hyped up dance track, his voice and his lyrics pour something unquestionably unique into the mix.
Thy Will be Done starts up this EP in a rather stunning way. The simplicity of the piano part, how original it sounds, his voice, and subsequently the story – the whole thing reaches out for your attention and connects with those inner difficulties; memories of loss, a broken home or an unexpected fork in the road. There’s a struggle in the words and in the sound, there’s an inherent sadness to the journey. The piano playing is mesmerising. It’s not the usual way you’d hear an EP kicking off, but it’s compelling and heart breaking all the more-so for its role as the introduction to the journey.
Sword Swinging afterwards tackles outward social difficulties and repeats don’t let them take your home as the music intensifies. You notice this rise in power as it follows the pureness of the piano sound and Yahudy’s more gentle, whispered style of delivery. This hook moment of swing your sword and it’s game time hits with impact thanks to this powerful, artistic arrangement.
The song Dance is about as appropriately titled as can be. The beat comes in, the synths, the dance vibes and fragments of audio, the repetition – the idea is simple – I want you to dance. The movement of the music reinforces the feeling. Yahudy provides a fully complex and varied experience throughout this project, and furthermore – his songwriting is refreshingly intuitive.
The single I do fuses a simple acoustic guitar sound and a few other notes or dashes of colour among a thoughtful space. Yahudy tells his own personal story, involving himself within the narrative yet still making more than enough references to love that can easily be translated to the modern couple or one’s relationship with their God. The melody and the build up to the rhythmically worded hook works beautifully.
Be Careful sees the moment calm down to only the purest elements. Yahudy’s softly soulful voice carries the experience, a few joyful piano notes light up the pathway. The melody meanders freely almost in a jazz-like manner – the song deals with losing your one true love, so the song represents well the unpredictable journey that is life. The intensity rises just subtly – some harmonies, harder piano playing. This is the sort of moment that would absolutely stun at a live show. Be careful how you treat people is the perfect line to leave lingering in the listener’s mind. This is a personal favourite for its melody, its expressive use of piano, and its natural level of power and honesty.
The project comes to a close with the vibrant and inspiring energy of the title track. Home Bound hears Yahudy burst into the perfect balance of dance vibes and soulful wonder. The song is superb, the instrumentation brings together some acoustic elements, an electronic beat, a few hints of tribal rhythms, a few flickers of expressive synths and keys – all of which are impossible to predict yet sound incredible within the mix.
Home Bound is immensely uplifting, energizing, and quite addictive to have fill the room. It’s something of a masterpiece, in my opinion – finely crafted so that each section cuts deep. Yahudy’s voice reaches new heights and carries the increasing passion and excitement of the central concept in a mighty way. The perfect manner in which to end this EP. Yahudy is well on his way to building something wonderful with his sound and his career. Absolutely worth experiencing.
Download the EP via Bandcamp or iTunes or stream it on Spotify. Find & follow Daud Aur Yahudy on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram or visit his Website.
