Rating: ***1/2
Husks in the latest project from former electro-soul group Youth Culture member, Connor Small.
Known for dark and hazy electronic tunes, Small's latest effort with Husks entitled "Design Me" promises to be cinematic post-breakup music that will delight your electronic-music impulses while also worming its way into your cold dark heart.
So here we go. We are about to listen to the 5-song EP from Husks. After that I'll obsessively write every detail I get from each track and share it with you. Because I'm a giver.
Listen to "Design Me" on SoundCloud here:
Track one is "Shapeshifter" and it definitely has a vibe. Small played all the instruments and co-wrote all of the tracks with Becca Krueger. He also sang lead on all of them. Shapeshifter is cool, but Small isn't exactly a powerhouse vocalist. That said, he has a unique voice that seems to carry the tune along kinda perfectly. Solid opener for sure. "Reach" is next and it's a moody synthed-out track that has haunting vocal harmonies. It reminds me of some of Trent Reznor's early 2000's movie scores. Title track "Design Me" is track number three and it also happens to be the first single. This one is a little sexier in tone and lyrically. It's a slower number but it suits him. So far this is really solid. "Corrode" is slow and dark industrial music that is almost devoid of melody. While I usually can find the value in that, this one didn't really capture me. The EP ends with "If I Had a Heart". It's sparse and creepy with plenty of noise effects and harmonies. I actually think this would be an excellent theme for a horror movie. It has a real Lost Boys feel to it.
Aside from "Corrode" I found this EP very good. If you like haunting electronic music, there is gonna plenty here to dig. I could see Small's vocals grating on some people, but I found it perfect for delivering what he's trying to deliver and overall I give this one a solid recommend.