Taska Black's hypnotic debut EP 'MINDS' will creep into yours

At long last, Taska Black's first body of work is here. The EP MINDS, out now on bitbird, is an instant ear worm from start to finish. Wrought with pensive, meandering tracks, MINDS showcases the Belgian artist's classical chops through the lens of forward-thinking dance and pop music.

"untitled000 (intro)" sets the stage atmospherically, layering lofty production with wistful guitar plucks beckoning the listener seamlessly into "Losing Our Minds." MINDS serves as not only grounds for Taska's divine beatmaking, but also a platform for rising vocal talent in the scene. Nevve twinkles through "Losing Our Minds," Midoca is a glistening vocal and songwriting assist on "Get Out Of My Head," and Aviella reaches impossible heights on "In The End." Taska got candid in revealing the inspiration behind the EP's closing record - his mental health: "It's been roughly 9 months since my first encounter with panic attacks, etc. Now it's easier to deal with it because I know what's going on with me and I know it's all in my head and that I'm in control. This song is about the never-ending struggle, but also the realization that it's all in my own head, that it's all gonna be fine and that you grow stronger because of this in the end."

The Antwerp-hailing Taska slow-burned his way into the spotlight over the past couple years by way of the bitbird/Heroic camp, and is currently on the road supporting San Holo on his North American album1 tour. I had the chance to catch the New York tour stop at Terminal 5, and Taska was very much up for the task of warming the sold out crowd coursing through the immense, cavernous space. MINDS shows an artist gracefully coming into his sound, and bravely facing his demons in the process.