Stream: Henry Pope, ‘Swayback’

Kevin Bronson on July 2nd, 2014

0

Henry Pope’s forward-thinking electro has become a favorite on the experimental edges of the EDM scene – he’s played the Do Lab’s stage at Coachella, Lightning in a Bottle and Unitribe’s Reunion and supported the Lucent Dossier Experience. Pope’s new EP “Waiting” (available on a pay-what-you-want basis) offers a formidable collision of synths, beats and live instrumentation, all funked up amid some deft songwriting. “Swayback,” which features the vocals of Parker Ainsworth and Keaton Simons, sounds like updated-for-the-new-millenium Alabama 3 (you know 1996’s “Woke Up this Morning,” right?). Fernanda Karolys lends her sensual voice (and Linling Hsu her violin) to “Luz,” and it’s Sophie Holt guesting and breathy on the title track, over Pope’s down-tempo backdrop. Then there’s Aaron Leibowitz’s saxophone, meandering through the big bottom of “DMV Nails.” Although just four songs, “Waiting” combines compositional acumen with big-soundsystem bombast; let it rip.

||| Stream: “Swayback” and “Luz”