Review Summary: Adult Jazz step up their game following their debut with a more electronic, avant garde approach, much to great success.
When "Gist Is" came out in 2014, it was a great little debut for this UK-based group providing us with complex song structures with vocals from a charismatic young lad who's voice can make you picture of what a male Björk would probably sound like. With full of great instrumentals and techniques, they had made a impact in the alternative scene with an album that was fresh and also unique. Two years later, they're back again now bringing more electronic approach to their work, with music that will make you feel like implanting artificial intelligence into your brain.
"Born in silence, slid easy through an edgeless tube"
The album is more like an EP, with 7 tracks (three of which are interludes) spanning around 24 minutes, much less than their debut; most of the songs on "Gist Is" were pretty long as most of the tracks didn't go under 5 minutes. However what this album makes up in length is definitely it's uniqueness. The record starts off with the title track "Earrings Off!", a 4 minute epic containing deconstructions of Pop, IDM, and even breakbeat. This album features strings and horns, which are used in a way that is reminiscent of something you might hear Oneohtrix Point Never dabble in. In fact, a lot of the music is very re-mindful of James Ferraro, Giant Claw, & Dean Blunt who are all three can be considered to be changing the landscape of what can be accomplished with pop music. The title track and the track "Eggshell" were both accompanied with music videos that have intense visuals that fit the music fantastic. Three very complicated and interesting interludes are also on this album, featuring MIDI-like horns, confusing time signatures, and ambient textures. All three interludes compliment the rest of the record greatly.
"We'll feast on moths, With salted wings, We'll drink the blood of anything, So let's talk, Creature to creature."
On the second half of this album, things can turn into a more challenging route with the tracks "Pumped From Above", & "Ooh Ah Eh". The horns come in at full force here, leaving an awkward, catchy, aura that catches your ear which leaves you feeling like you should be sitting in a blank white room listening to this. The lyrics on the album deal largely with Masculinity, Body image, Gender Politics & Identity, & Liberation. The message is subtle, yet refined, and it doesn't feel forceful whatsoever. The production certainly shines throughout this Mini-LP, which captures not only the present era, but what is in store for our future, much like how the lyrics tackle with these topics and shows what what and how we can accomplish with our society.
In Conclusion, Adult Jazz trumps their debut while also leaving us with a collection of thought-provoking avant pop standards that will challenge you, break you, tease you, and hug you with it's Post-futuristic tones, melodies, and textures. Although the album is rather short, it packs a serious punch that will make you want to re-listen to it multiple times to get it's full effect. While the interludes leave a little something to be desired, this Leeds-based group aren't backing down from their unique, glossy, springful sound. Hopefully we will see what Adult Jazz has more in store for the near future, because they already have a plan for what we will be like.
