Weval, a duo comprised of Harm Coolen and Marijn Scholte Albers, hail from Amsterdam, Netherlands, and are worth lending your ears to. The twosome, having both worked previously in film, teamed up over a mutual adoration for electronic music production, and have since signed with Kompakt Records.
Their newest EP, which was released Nov 26 via Kompakt, contains four tracks that each in their own way are able to radiate organic warmth despite their roots in synthetic composition. Weval experiment with elements known to synth-tronica and deep house, feeling (at times) chopped & screwed, which is most evident on the first track called "Gimme Some". If Rival Consoles comes to mind, you're on the right track.
[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/169306457"]
From there, "One" feels spacier and more melodic, almost acting as a brief resting period for the listener. With breathy, euphoric vocals, the Easier EP begins to emerge from the shadows of dark electronica. Feeling a bit Flume-y at times, "One" begins to establish the EP as a bit of a synth-heavy mixed bag, one that nonetheless retains a cohesiveness. Each track so far exists exactly where they ought to, and we're only half way through.
[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/178736831"]
"Thinking Of" proves that this is certainly not much of a dance-oriented EP, despite what "Gimme Some" may have told us sonically. It's really about an established mood that has its ups and downs, but which always has a melancholic edge.
[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/178736829"]
Capping off Easier comes the title track. Though feeling more bubbly than the others, "Easier" still remains in tune with Weval's moody and atmospheric approach to dark pop synth.
[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/178736826"]
