Just three months after the release of their Alright Alright EP, Louis Futon's sophomore release adds depth to the growing catalog of these two young men from Philadelphia, PA. As they continue to release new music, their unique play on chill/trap scene (like the chillstep of another Philadelphian, Mitis) mashed up with authentic Philly trap, straight from the warehouses deep in the north of the city.
Louis Futon's sophomore EP Hear/Say follows their first utilizing aspects of this hybrid genre of chill/trap, with the first two songs epitomizing chill-out music. Six episodic songs, individually varied yet interconnected by patterned sounds that maintains a simple, restrained beat with waves of melodic arrangements built around it, the DNA spiraling through each track.
"Watchu Want" features an emotional vocal track that wakes up and startles the background ambient melodies in a good way, one that evokes a woman's desperate emotion. Underneath it all is the ever-important percussion, which is quite simple and soft in the early songs on Hear/Say. The percussion's just prominent enough to remind the listener where most pieces of music begin, and how they're sustained. The music flows through to the second and third tracks, "Burn" and "Front Porch Swing," with choppy notes and progressively stronger sounds that gradually raise the energy of this EP. "Front Porch Swing" pounds a bit heavier, happy sounds running throughout a less restrained beat.
Breathe. The fourth track, so aptly titled, "Interlude," is the 15-minute intermission at a Broadway show. A soft whirlpool at the mouth of the beginning and end, separating the two elements but also mixing them together. Moving into the fifth track entitled, "Purple and Gold," instinctively Wiz Khalifa had me expecting some spitting, which in addition to the drop in tone and even slower tempo, a way down tempo if you well. The lyrical rhymes of Monty Cold, (who also makes an appearance on another Futon track called "Caviar"), which I recommend, add depth and intrigue to this eclectic mix.
It all comes to an end with commonly named, "Outro," a sort of grand finale that settles the music deep down inside the belly of a bellowing beast. It is low and slow and foreboding, almost creepily gloomy from the start. Goose bumps pop up when a muffled, melting voice oozes out the warning "tread lightly."
There is a bonus track on the EP, a remix of "Front Porch Swing," which I think is the happiest and most upbeat song on the project. A surface look at Hear/Say reveals the unique yet distinct sound of these boys, just 20-years-old. Chill/trap influences a framework with solid melodic runs and a steady, entrancing beat. As evident in this EP, though, these boys do not like to be restricted to genre classifications. They use many elements of all music, from the sound of a piano to vocals to manipulating and mixing up the different pieces of each track.
Upon close examination, it seems that the EP has a very methodical structure that leads down a slippery slope, like a metal playground slide. Unlike one quick ride down, Hear/Say is as clever as the word play of its title. It is worth a few intense listens, and incites anticipation for what is still to come from these budding young producers.
Hear/Say is available right now for limited free downloads; after these 300 downloads are grabbed, the EP will be available on Bandcamp for $3.
