Evy Jane - Closer EP

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  • If you cast your mind back to 2012 you may recall Vancouverite duo Evy Jane and their wintry debut Sayso. The title track made a minor splash at the time—and with good reason—but with so-called "alt R&B" (sigh) practically an established market category these days, its marriage of dubstep heft and hip-winding sensuality now seems a touch naive. Still, the magnetism of Evelyn Mason's husky tones suggested that the project might have legs, and on Closer, that single's long awaited follow-up, she and producer Jeremiah Klein prove that indeed it does. Several new waters are tested here (none of them remotely sub-Weeknd) and the results are intriguing and often excellent. Best is the title track, which proposes an alternate history in which My Bloody Valentine made sexy synth slow-jams. Its chords buzz, shimmer and sag in the heat, coming out both warm and dislocated all at once. It's a highly unusual and seductive sound, and one of which we hopefully haven't heard the last. "Worry Heart" is completely different but almost as pretty. Its subtle dub undulations suggest the duo have been listening to Rhythm & Sound, but the results are intricate and pop-wise enough to transcend homage. The other half of the record isn't so convincing. "Nothing So Great" swaps dense arrangements for extreme sparseness, and Mason's voice isn't quite forceful enough to carry the drama. Like "Sosoft" it's also noir-ish and relentlessly maudlin—when, it seems, Evy Jane do glimmering beauty best.
  • Tracklist
      01. Closer 02. Nothing So Great 03. Sosoft 04. Worry Heart
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