With a strong musical background, growing up as a drummer and later going on to study music in LA, Sam Murphy has been on our radar for a while: displaying an awareness in his use of the electronic sound that is always refreshing to our ears.
The Seatlle-born producer’s music tends to err on the ambient side of things: just check his SoundCloud and you’ll find a mix of lush, downtempo beats with a distinct summer nights feel to them. However, on his latest release, we witness an evolution in his production and songwriting: referencing the likes of Bonobo, Jon Hopkins and Burial amongst others.
Opening title track ‘Far From Home’ sees Umiaq experiment with a more club-friendly sound as ethereal vocals blend with a soft yet assertive 4/4 house beat. Eleanor Crane features on vocals and her smoky mesmeric tones are the ideal compliment to the gently surging beat. Following on with ‘Dreamer’, Umiaq leads in on a more mellow vibe: opening in with blurry descending piano chords. Adhering to a more traditional song structure on this one, with echoes of influencers James Blake and Radiohead becoming present as the track unfolds, ‘Dreamer’ is atmospheric and poppy in the best possible way.
‘Runaround’ sees more reverbed piano mixed together with samples of rough, electrical sounding scrapes and twitches. At six minutes in length it is a slow builder, but don’t be deterred as the crescendo is definitely worth the wait. Ending in a fuzz of noise, the cyclical element to ‘Runaround’ – represented in the title – finally comes into full force. ‘Until We Meet Again’ opens gradually with a slow and hesitant, syncopated kick snare pattern before Umiaq introduces atmospheric synths alongside soft melancholic vocals telling of heartbreak, stating “I’m not ready to say goodbye”.
Closing with the dramatic ‘Stranded Spark’ and visceral and intense ‘Somewhere Across The Dark’, throughout the EP Umiaq delivers a range of emotion and atmosphere: experimenting with textures and dipping into several electronic genres for inspiration on the way! Out now, take a listen for yourself below and if you’re digging it then pick up a copy over here.
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