Abstraxion – I Can’t

Label: HAKT RecordingsRelease: Out Now

Emotional and melancholic from the off. The title track ‘I Can’t’ goes straight in at the deep end. Warm melodies, minor chords and a soft welcoming kick drum takes the gains the attention of listener instantly. Not giving too much away from the beginning, Abstraxion paves a intriguing road to gain the listeners trust. Teamed with airy vocals accompanied by moody synths, this one is not one for the dance floor but the bedroom.

Simple and spacious ‘Never Thought’ creates a downbeat mood setter for the former part of the track, teasing arpeggios and the use of ambiguous vocals create a sombre tone. The latter part of the track captures the essence of the track and continues to work on the changing arpeggios while the energy is built higher and higher to no real climax.

Side chained atmospherics really create a groove in Farimont’s take on ‘Around Me’. Some semi-adventurous hi hats set the tempo. Synchronised automation on the locked groove fake a sense of pressing forward to good effect. It’s not until the very latter parts of the track does this get exciting and it’s a shame it comes to an end without much fruition.

My Favourite Robot closes the EP off with a nice psychedelic trip. The weight of the percussion relying on the clap here. Nice amped up riffs topped off with some synth accents make this a nice thought provoking journey. Definitely the stand out track of a stand out EP, this is a cut we’re sure will be finding its way into even the most discerning of sets and record bags upon release.

Words: Jenagan Sivakuma