Electronic / Chillwave
RIYL: DJ Krush, Madlib, Washed Out
From the band’s Bandcamp page:
The “East” EP marks the beginning of a series of four EP’s over the next year, all under the encompassing album title of “Next Frontier”. If you haven’t already guessed it, the remaining projects will be called West, North, and South. The EP’s are themed after a compass and each EP takes on its own sonic identity in relation to the interpreted landscape. This project is intended to be an interactive album release that allows for more diverse artistic expression and exploration, both in music and concept.
The “East” EP is the debut EP from a series of four. This portion of the Next Frontier project is heavily inspired by my local landscape of Asheville, North Carolina. The Blue Ridge Mountains and their rainforest like quality provide plenty of inspiration for lush textures, soulful melodies, and hypnotic rhythms. The productions of the East EP are layered with diverse instrumentation including guitar, flute, trumpet, piano, and analog synthesizers.
What is ear-catching about this EP is that there are a bevy of lush sounds for the listener to digest. From the EP’s opening note, to the final cadence, there are amazing sonic textures throughout. As the EP opens, “Bridges” commences with a beautiful string arrangement, paired with some ruminating guitar work. As the song progresses, layers begin to build, bringing in a multitude of samples and oscillating flute and clarinet. As the long reaches its end, those layers slowly strip away to unveil the original guitar arrangement.
Following, the EP takes a right turn. “The Overlook,” uses piano as the primary driver, before giving way to a warm acoustic guitar passage, littered with swirling electronic goodness. As the guitar continues, effects are added to give an echoed effect, before being superseded by some varied acoustic electric riffs. The song continues to meander as it sheds the stringed elements, allowing for the electronics to take center stage again – if only for a brief moment.
As the EP comes to a close with the latter two tracks, listeners might allow their ears to wander a touch, as there are some soundscapes that are reminiscent of other work. For example, “Fork in the Road” has a bit of that Madlib Shades of Blue vibe, where “Forest Sang” sounds like something out of Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. That’s not to discount the music either. There are some brilliant songs on this EP. If you are looking for something that has a relaxing vibe, Koresma is for you.
