Sometimes, collaboration brings new life to a project that is hard to find on your own. This is exactly what happened with LOVER and his debut EP ‘It’s A Wild World’. After crafting beautiful songs with amazingly heartfelt lyrics, the EP was still missing something and LOVER ended up finding it in the hands of friends, who helped bring his vision of the EP to life.
‘It’s A Wild World’ is a stunning collection of tracks and every note leaves you wanting more. There may be only five tracks to listen to, but the collection assures you that there’s so much more to come from LOVER and it’ll certainly be brilliant.
The first song on the EP, ’Super Car Racer’, was created alongside Golden Vessel and flows with ease. The melody sails softly alongside the vocals and when LOVER sings “life moves fast, I’ll slow down for ya”, it encapsulates the track and its atmosphere. ‘Super Car Racer’ isn’t rushed, it’s not heading anywhere in a hurry, it’s here to help you slow down, take it easy and comfortably welcome you into his musical world. The tempo is steady, the bubbly synths are subtle and the delicate way each element dances together with the vocals just creates a beautifully calm mood.
‘Higher Powers’ feels like a kaleidoscope. It may just be one of my favourite tracks on ‘It’s A Wild World’. Co-produced by Tanssi, the track utilises autotune to give new life to LOVER’s quiet vocals and really take you to a place that’s deconstructed, disjointed, but still so inviting. The samples used on the track also give ‘Higher Powers’ a bit more of a trippy vibe. Chimes introduce the track before the sweet melody disappears two-thirds of the way through the song, to make way for new synths that slowly melt away and fall into silence. The track may be short, but it definitely still packs a punch.
You may have already heard ‘Waiting Up’, a track that features the vocals from rap duo Cult Shotta, but for those who haven’t – it’s pure bliss. The intricate guitar track floats below scattered vocals and when the beat comes in, the song comes to life and makes you feel a lot of things. It’s complex arrangements follow Cult Shotta’s scattered vocals with ease and those vocals carry the yearning lyrics to new heights. ‘Waiting Up’ feels lonely, yet comforting. The juxtaposition between the light hopefulness with the darker emptiness feels so unique and compelling. LOVER is a brilliant writer and this is a track that truly highlights his talent.
‘Last Puzzle Piece’ is a very warm track. This is the song you’d want to listen to whilst watching the sunset and emptying your mind. The lyrics tell a story about someone who feels like things are moving forward in a better direction and that there’s no need for anyone to help take care of them anymore. Whether that was the original intention of the track or not, that’s what it feels like to me. The acoustic notes and buzzing synths hovering beneath the vocals uplift you and are a beautiful soundtrack to whatever thoughts are going through your mind. ‘Last Puzzle Piece’ is great for anyone to listen to when they’re feeling lost because the elegant production and velveteen vocals give you a feeling that although you may not know what’s happening, everything will turn out alright.
‘Spiders’ has a bit of childlike wonder about it. The song reflects on finding someone you’ve been searching for and just sounds blissful. The vibrant synths dance over a light piano melody and the vocals, oh those vocals! LOVER’s vocals are too gorgeous and every single song on ‘It’s A Wild World’ nurtures his soft, whispering voice like a baby bird. ‘Spiders’ is quite minimalist, with fewer elements carrying it forward than other tracks on the EP, but that’s what’s so great about it. It keeps things simple and still gets such a strong feeling building inside of you.
‘It’s A Wild World’ is a timeless EP. Whether you listen to it today, the day of its release, or 10 years down the track, the messages that LOVER is sending through his soulful lyrics and dreamy production will still affect you. This EP is comforting, caring and reassuring and it’s wonderful to be able to listen to a collection of songs with such a strong positive influence.
Built through collaboration and serene storytelling, ‘It’s A Wild World’ is a beautiful EP full of wonder and LOVER’s greatest work.
Stream: Mammal Sounds Records
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