Rennen sees multi-talented musician, songwriter, producer and glitchy R&B purveyor SOHN return to basics in his own uniquely intricate way
Following the release of Tremors - SOHN’s deeply impressive, critically revered debut full-length - life, perhaps unsurprisingly, became somewhat of a blur for the Englishman. It happened that the general public were more than willing to part ways with their hard earned cash to witness the artist’s unique brand of oozing electro-R&B as a live experience. In his own words, this led to an overwhelmingly “nonstop” experience of the world which, as it soon became clear, “was an incredible thing to put yourself through as a human”.
Once the dust had finally settled on the synth-blazed scene he had made for himself virtually single-handedly, he was in desperate need for recuperation - physically, mentally, emotionally, even musically. He gratefully retreated to an isolated house in northern California wherein he could begin to remember and enjoy the basics of life, the world around him and the craft he creates.
No more so can the resulting ‘vocals, melodies, rhythms’ attitude to song structure he was to adopt be heard on ‘Falling’. Step by step, layer by layer are the core elements typically found in SOHN’s artistry added to each other; a pulsating background beat, fuzzing bass, circular vocals, dancefloor snares, all looped in, morphed and evolved to breaking point until they are all allowed to interact in the piece’s powerful crescendo finish.
So far, so SOHN. There are a few moments, though, where the musician lays himself bare - not hiding behind his glitchy beats or tumultuous synths - allowing for the listener to see SOHN not as an artist but as a person, as Christopher Taylor. He’s experienced quite the time of late after all - not only is there the wider question over Europe (he ominously sings “I can feel it coming, we can never go back” on ‘Conrad’), there is also the small matter of his falling in love, getting married, and learning he is to become a father to address. He momentarily allows his audience to have insight into even the most intimate of emotions these life milestones inevitably provoke to devastating effect: through his lyrics - on ‘Primary’ he offers a passive, helpless “I thought we’d passed this / I thought we’d grown”; and through his music - the soothing keys and warbling vocals of ‘Signal’ have tones not too dissimilar to those made famous by indie’s King of Sorrow, James Blake.
Album closer ‘Harbour’ encapsulates all that is good about the artist and wraps it into one masterpiece of a song. It is peak SOHN and surely the peak of the techno soul maker’s career so far. The singer’s trademark falsetto vocals beg to be saved on the open sea before being joined by near organ-like synths. An orchestral section and a rainstick lull the listener into a false sense of comfort and ease. This is all swept to the side by a beat so intricate and a tune so menacing, one cannot help but be hit by the sheer talent of it all. One moment you have SOHN down as someone who would save your life, the next someone who would take it. This, surely, is what makes SOHN and Rennen such an enigma, a mystery, an art to behold.
8/10
Published on: Raw Meat
