Reviews
Ferng: Long Mountain Travelogue
Ferng serves up good reliable techno perfect for long mountain survival on their latest via Singapore dancefloor imprint SoulMatters Recordings.
Chok Kerong / Vanessa Fernandez: Spiral
Charlie Lim jazzhand Chok Kerong teams up with Vanessa Fernandez to craft Spiral, a jazz-pop record full of virtuosity, craft, soul and heart.
Sean Sundaran : Irresoluteness
Despite its title being a word used to describe a lack of confidence in one’s purpose, Irresoluteness presents listeners with the opposite of its namesake – being a worthy addition to Sean Sundaran’s diverse repertoire of musical projects and releases.
Carpet Golf : Brock Lensar
Emo-heads rejoice, this’ll sit right home with you. A self-described “friendship-core” band, Carpet Golf debuts with appropriate gusto, bringing some banging riffs and introspection for our tight-lipped Singaporean culture.
Dissect : Anatomy of Aberration
Anatomy of Aberration provides a rounded boost to Dissect’s discography, and a refreshing and innovative addition to Lion City Hardcore that features a wide range of influences within the various subgenres of hardcore, metalcore, and those outside such as ambient and shoegaze.
Nic Soze : Lost
Contemporary R&B has been stuck at a creative bottleneck for a while now, and Nic Soze’s Lost isn’t doing much to help. Its influences are clear from the start; submerged vocal samples, crooning sing-rap vocals, lyrics about a nondescript romance with a nondescript partner.
Kenzo : Glass Box, Vol. 2
Conjuring vivid scenes of manholes and overcoats, Kenzo’s Glassbox Vol. 2 defies the brittle nature of its name. Unabashed and unconcerned with fragility, the project is reminiscent of a grimy city sprawl with streets ruled by crime. Just like the rumble of urban traffic, percussive samples, sirens, crunchy guitars and turntable scratches thrillingly weave in and out of its beatwork.
Soul Dot, Akeem Jahat, & Marian Carmel : what are we?
Linking up with esteemed Singaporean hip-hop luminary Akeem Jahat and rising singer-songwriter Marian Carmel, local production team Soul Dot conjures a laid-back neo-soul jam on “what are we?”
Creature Comforts : Summer Fades With A Drippy Eye
On his debut, Summer Fades With A Drippy Eye, Creature Comforts’ self–described rejection of musical perfection is not so much an angsty statement, but an acceptance of the absurdity of music and the artistic process.
Viticz : re_build
With its raw honesty accompanying Viticz’s highly polished bookends, re_build’s revelations make a genuinely emotional impact. The result is a statement of personal rebirth for Viticz, and a defining start to a journey that will be exciting to watch.
Cayenne : Cayenne
“In this project, I make whatever I want,” Cayenne declares in her Spotify bio, and this freewheeling, playful attitude dominates Cayenne's hyperpop gloss, all the while connecting with emotional sincerity – poignant, heartfelt, and occasionally tender.
Terrible People : Home, In A Way
Terrible People's Home, In A Way is a refined effort that drips with a sense of loss – a heart-bleeding statement powered by tighter performances and a poignant yearning for times past
Heureux Pour Vous : Ants in My Bread
How can you possibly beat a cosmic full meal of lup cheong, char kway teow, cai tao kway and kopi siew dai? For production extraordinaires Heureux Pour Vous, the answer is retreating to a friendlier part of the sonic meal: the artisanal bakery.
Don Aaron : FREEDOM?
On FREEDOM?, dapat music connoisseur Don Aaron ups the ante from its predecessor F A C T S in pretty much every aspect - be it in songwriting, production, or overall cohesion.
Causeway Youth : This Isn’t Where I Want To Be
Breezy and yet brimming with nostalgia, Causeway Youth's ethereal summer anthems never lose their lustre, delivering and improving upon the promises teased on their initial singles.
St47ic: Altior Potentia
On their return, St47tic flex witty lyricism and a truculent attitude over woozy trap production. Yet, despite Altior Potentia meaning “Higher Power” in Latin, the track unfortunately doesn’t transcend its more derivative tendencies.
New Recording 47: What It Used To Be
By tackling the uncertain nature of growing up, New Recording 47's What It Used To Be is a heartfelt ode to change that joyously celebrates the past and remains cautiously optimistic for the future.
MZA: Balmoral
Balmoral – Yen Disco Soundsystem leader and electronic producer Matt Sekiya’s debut EP as MZA – sounds akin to John Coltrane performing a solo in a Buddhist temple with an analog synthesizer. Traversing worlds of downtempo, ambient, to even drum ‘n’ bass, he conjures an effort that reflects his deep-cut expertise.
Electrico : Fire In The Sky
Electrico were pioneers who made Singaporeans realise amazing music could be made on our shores - on Fire In The Sky, they remind us how they captured our hearts in the first place. We stand on the shoulders of giants, and man, these giants are still a force to be reckoned with.