The debut EP by 22 year old Brisbane singer/songwriter Wafia has now been two years in the making, and her hard work has sure paid off. The EP itself is named after the elemental symbol for copper, which just touches on the level of thought and consideration that she has put into each track.
XXIX opens with the emotionally ambient ‘Prelude’, building suspense and reeling in the listener. ‘The Raid’ is my favourite track on this, think; Elizabeth Rose meets Glass Animals. The outro on this is phenomenal, with sounds that I can only describe as ‘space-nuclear’.
Despite being relatively new to the scene, Wafia already has some pretty impressive collaborations under her belt. ‘Heartburn’ was co-produced with Ta-ku, and it is a guaranteed hit with an attractive and catchy riff. ‘Fading Through’ features Brisbane’s Vancouver Sleep Clinic, and it is quite different to other songs on the album, stepping away from heavy beats and moving more towards the synthetic instrumentation that characterises their sound of Vancouver Sleep Clinic.
Wafia’s EP features a multitude of sounds, emotions and genres. Her EP has flagged her as creatively dexterous, promising great things for the future.
Rating: ★★★★
XXIX EP is available now through iTunes, Spotify or BandCamp.
Wafia‘s interview on Triple J with Linda Marigliano, where she discusses the links and meanings behind each song and title, is well worth a listen (http://www.abc.net.au/triplej/goodnights)
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