The inherent connection to the Neverland concept is kept strong throughout, and GAD’s own relationship to it, his fine balancing of personal and broadly relevant details, shines brightly every step of the way.
Music
Leading with precisely the crisp and clean finished implied by the title, Terry Blade’s EP Misery (Mastered For Headphones) offers a beautifully intimate, soulful performance that connects on a deeply human level.
A band with precisely the tools and passion required to satisfy that need for energy and volume during these extensively still, unsettling times.
Driving with unquestionable openness, a refreshing musicality, and a clear desire to explore the inner workings of the human mind – Jay Tee’s Hell Inside seems like a perfectly poignant release for this particular time in our lives.
Mainly instrumental, then, and a love letter to the employment of adding reverb to sound, this album represents huge trips of introspection and simple melodic and tonal exploration – marking it out as something of a one-off. The fact that it all kind of hangs together as one concept is surprising, but it definitely does.
Never anything other than highly-polished and beautifully sung and played, Miénteme is accomplished – and genuinely makes you want to get up and dance. Seductive rhythms and lyrical vocal phrasing come together here to offer something that could genuinely crossover and become something very big.
Bold and expressive vocals ride alongside equally eloquent and emotive piano-work, to lead listeners through a deeply personal yet minimalist piece of music and writing that is Time Is What I Need.
Leading with a beautifully delicate, emotive soundscape, and an immediately rhythmic vocal hook and tone that effectively tip their hats to the strength of classic, nostalgic hip hop, Stay Patience is categorically an anthem for contemporary minds.
Fresh from the upcoming mixtape inkytunes III, back then is a chaotic yet emotive soundscape and song, featuring soulful vocals and an overall rising sense of anticipation and energy that increasingly envelops you.
Complexity combines with pile-driving power to root the song to the floor. The fact that the band switch effortlessly between pedal-to-the-metal and snatches of full-on syncopation makes Backsheepish an exhilarating, adrenalin-soaked listen.
Throughout, the sound is technically pristine and sculpted while the vocals remain very human. It’s glossy and gorgeous.
Stylishly blending conceptual depth, a brilliant use of melodic soundscape development, and vocals that lean towards classic hip hop, the band offer blissful escapism, engaging rhythms, and fast-paced, endless bars – the likes of which captivate in a genuinely new and exciting way.