This week's Friday has bought us releases both highly anticipated and unexpected.
SOPHIE - "It's Okay to Cry", from OIL OF EVERY PEARL'S
UN-INSIDES
As an artist, SOPHIE may not be a name that's particularly recognisable, but her production speaks for itself. In most of her discography, her production is a industrial, futuristic blend of glitch-hop and trap, a style which made Vince Staples' "Yeah Right" so distinct as a convergence of rap and electronic music. With the release of her debut album OIL OF EVERY PEARL'S UN-INSIDES, SOPHIE manages to take this sound to new places while keeping it in the same space as her past work. One track that does this well is the album's opener, It's Okay To Cry. It's opening alone is a departure from her more aggressive synthwork, swapping strong bass for light keys. Unlike most of her work, It's Okay To Cry is oddly calming and rather uplifting as the industrial synths take a backseat. The track gradually builds up as we hear more synths in the main track and more and more odd glitches in the background. The track's crescendo isn't a typical "drop" at all, utilising heavy distorted synths over the lighter higher-pitched piano keys. A juxtaposition that for non-fans can feel strange, but for those who know SOPHIE's production feels like a familiar welcome. It also shows that SOPHIE is able to take risks, using a style which is a near-opposite to what she's known for and reap the rewards in making something that sounds completely new.
Chromeo (feat. French Montana and Stefflon Don) - "Don't Sleep", from Head Over Heels
One of the aforementioned surprises comes from Chromeo with the release of their new album Head Over Heels, released four years after their last LP, White Women. I first heard of the American electro-funk duo in 2014 when searching for more music like Daft Punk's Random Access Memories, released a year earlier. The first song I heard from the album was Don't Sleep, featuring rappers French Montana and Stefflon Don. The first half of the track is where it really shines, with its strong bass and slick synthwork sitting comfortably beneath Dave 1's vocals. The track manages to keep its upbeat vibe during its breakdown in preparation for its heavy, and sadly short, chorus. I call it heavy because, without feeling excessive, there's a lot going on. With each listen, you notice something different, like the vocoder, which subtly adds to the smoothness we expect from funk as a whole. As the track moves onto its features, it begins to feel rushed before an abrupt ending. Switching from a rap beat for Stefflon to funk for French Montana's verse to its brief chorus before Stefflon raps again with seconds to spare. I couldn't help but feel that this structure was a bit overwhelming, and made the ending feel abrupt. However, Chromeo's detailed production on the track makes up for it and if I'm right in thinking the track has radio potential, it prompts others to dive in and explore the duo's unique view on funk.
Mura Masa - "Move Me"
Born from Youtube through music networks like Majestic Casual, Mura Masa’s self-titled album didn’t just bring something new to the genre, it also solidified his unique sound. As well as being stacked with features from artists both new and well-known (A$AP Rocky, Damon Albarn, NAO) he was able to condense a variety of genres, sounds and styles into individual tracks. The individuality in each track resulted in the album becoming one of the most eclectic in the electronic scene in the past few years. Having experimented with such musical diversity, Masa could have gone anywhere. As summer comes back around, we finally have the answer to where that place is with his new song “Move Me”, featuring emerging rapper Octavion. What strikes you first about the track is how much bass there is in just this song alone in comparison to the self-titled album. It’s punchy drum pattern immediately grabs your attention before the dreamy lead synth hits give you a slight indication of the genre Masa is going for, dancehall. It’s the universal, mainstream, genre of the summer in tracks like Major Lazer’s “Light It Up”, Dua Lipa’s No Lie and, most famously, French Montana’s Unforgettable so it’s easy to see why Mura Masa would dabble in this genre at this time of year. However, he doesn’t conform to the mainstream conventions of dancehall as much as he twists them to his own liking. Much like his breakout track Love$ick, we see Mura Masa effectively layering sounds that on their own seem vastly different, but when put together mould surprisingly well. As the song introduces Octavian’s first verse, that cloudy synth is briefly removed in favour for a wobbling bass and the infectious drum pattern that let Octavian’s vocals stand out. When the track moves to the chorus, the lead synths are reintroduced along with some guitar, to counteract the bass and make for a relaxing, minimalist head-bopper. Move Me is also quite the shift for Mura Masa’s work, it’s not as energetic or pop-like as his other work but still delivers in that niche corner of music Mura Masa has created for himself. Featuring rising rapper Octavian on the track, especially having worked with names like A$AP Rocky and Desiigner, shows he’s still got a love for the niche and discovering the undiscovered in his work. I’m excited to see what sounds Mura Masa will uncover next and what he’ll do to make that discovery his own.