- N / Y / X is a new project from Matt Didemus (one half of Junior Boys and a solo artist as DIVA) and his fellow Canadian artist Adam "Iron Galaxy" Hodgins. Didemus founded Obsession, the label releasing Love Haze / Kalamazoo, last year, and both Didemus and Hodgins appeared on the compilation EP that launched the label.
As with Didemus's solo work, there's no trace of Junior Boys' soft-focus electro-pop here, but "Love Haze" does evoke his tough DIVA tracks. It begins with a fearsome kick drum, which is leavened by a steady, intoxicating groove and a melody that's at once pretty and sharp. It pulls off the same trick of making competing elements work together that Didemus showed on his much-loved DIVA track "Paris Stabbing." On the flip, "Kalamazoo" has more of Hodgins' ear for shining ambience, its blinking keys and warm bass feeling like a lullaby after the caffeinated opener. Whether the project follows one of these directions or remains as varied as Love Haze / Kalamazoo, the results should be worth hearing.
TracklistA1 Love Haze
B1 Kalamazoo