Bells Atlas Hyperlust EP
Drenched in the echoes of many lovely tones, Bells Atlas's new EP Hyperlust is an victory of layered construction. Comprised of four members, all of them steeped in genres like bossa nova, latin psych-rock and African high-life, the group paints canvases of sound on each of the EP's four tracks, creating a collage of precise guitar, woozy keyboards and wild vocals.
"There are no boundaries," lead vocalist Sandra Lawson-Ndu sings at the onset of "Bling" before a lopsided clatter of drums and bass emerge out of an aural fog. Earlier this spring Lawson-Ndu told Okayplayer that Bells Atlas sees its music-making a cinematic enterprise; these hypnotic grooves are sketches and within them tones become colors, but it is up to we listeners to fill it all in. Opener "Future Bones" clinks like gears until finally falling into a bass-heavy groove that will have dub fans shedding tears with joy, and by the time "Sugar for the Queen" closes, led by a clear marimba, all that's left is to push repeat and let the short film replay. The young band deserves high praise for making such a deep and complex record that never, even for a second, sacrifices its graceful listenability for the sake of acrobatics. Fans of Hiatus Kaiyote, TV On The Radio, The Mars Volta, Fela Kuti, Yeasayer will all find much to enjoy. Listen to Hyperlust in full below.
