Electronic artist SOHN strips it back for two new songs that are both incredibly refined and masterfully executed.
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London based singer-songwriter SOHN has released a new two-part single ‘Hue/Nil’. Evolving his typical transient electronica into the form of a couplet of melodious mellow tracks, SOHN’s venture undoubtedly pays off, providing us with a new enigmatic and chilled conception that forces you to lackadaisically bop your head along.
The multi-talented producer and electropop artist Toph Taylor has once again returned under the name SOHN after last year’s eclectic full-length album Rennen. Whilst the new release tends to abide by the electronic core of SOHN’s pre-existing discography, he is once again showing his affinity to innovation by really stripping back on ‘Hue/Nil’. The first track ‘Hue’ is largely piano lead, calmly relying on the subtlety of a few notes laid over the gentle synth beat. In both ‘Hue’ and ‘Nil’, Taylor shows the purity of his unfaltering voice, evoking a Justin Vernon vibe that immediately puts you at ease. There’s a clear sense of yearning in the track, a desperation as Taylor warbles over the chorus “I’ll never find another like you / Similar tone but a different hue.” Maintaining a consistent atmospheric and haunting veil, the more rustic laidback approach to ‘Hue’ metamorphoses into an R&B soulful sound in ‘Nil’, especially towards the back end of the track where the guitar comes into play and the electronic aspects really step up a notch. Again, ‘Nil’ is equally pessimistic in lyricism with the lines “You look in my eyes like the ordained / But you’re not in love / I’m not blind.” Openly heartfelt and impressively put together, ‘Hue/Nil’ is some of SOHN’s best work yet, and if this latest release is the beginnings of a new album then there is a lot to look forward to.
‘Hue/Nil’ is out now via 4AD. SOHN kicks off his European tour at Roundhouse in London on 17th May.
