After cruising into our radar earlier this month with his super funk-pop tune "Enter The Bags," Stockholm-based emerging singer and songwriter Noak Hellsing returns with his new EP entitled Shift. The 5 track EP is a potpourri of sounds as Hellsing experiments with soul, disco, and 80s soft rock to experimental lofi-pop.
The EP begins with the previously released single "Empty the Bags," a hypnotic funk-pop jam with a hypnotic bassline that hits you and draws you in with its enthralling pulse. Hellsing revels in his laidback falsetto melodies and adds a sublime vibe that helps start the EP on a strong note. Next is "All Day" comprising solemn summer-drenched guitar licks and soft drums underpinned by reflective lyrics like
"Running right back to you in my head
I go replay every word you never said
I Feel you Clouding up my mind on a sunny day
but just Let it rain"
Co-written and produced with Bård Ericson, the track evokes 90s summer rock jams with a stripped-down vibe. This is followed by "Tuscan Skies," where Hellsing reminisces on the good memories and being lost in the past while lingering in the present. The production echoes modern bedroom pop with a soulful aesthetic.
This is followed by the vibrant "Good News," a bright and uplifting tune that dives into taking charge of the now instead of leaving it up for chance. He beckons to his lover with a soft tone as he sings "Step by step/We’re walking on the line/Head up don’t ever look down," before the song ends abruptly. The final track "No Words" is a solemn piece that begins with sombre guitar licks, sparse drum grooves underpinned by Noak's airy vocal runs, and reflective lyrics that explore blossoming love and the trepidations that follow as two lovers take the proverbial leap of faith into the unknown.
Overall, Shift is succinct but edgy enough to showcase different sides to Hellsing's artistry and lovers of multi-genre projects would love him for it.
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