1tbsp - Mosquito Love (LP)

After releasing so many infectious tracks, Brisbane producer 1tbsp has unleashed his debut album ‘Mosquito Love’ into the world that’s full of eclectic soundscapes that showcase just how versatile his sound is.

‘Mosquito Love’ is an album full of delicate tones and chopped vocals that somehow feels both high-energy and refreshingly casual at the same time. This is a tricky thing to produce in the house music world, but 1tbsp is an extremely talented producer and the way he’s able to collage together so many different vibes into a tapestry of sound is something truly wonderful to hear.

‘Mosquito Love’ opens with ‘Mod’, a track with a darker atmospherics and light tones that dance together producing a delightful melody. Chopped samples enter this delicate dance to provide a bit of force behind the atmospherics, whilst the hard beat and high hats turn up the energy as the track rolls on. You can’t help but bounce to ‘Mod’ as it slowly wakes you up and introduces you to the bustling world within ‘Mosquito Love’. If you were looking for an example of how1tbsp can balance a relaxed feeling with the upbeat nature of house music, ‘Mod’ will be exactly what you’re looking for.

Once we’ve eased into ‘Mod’, the hollow tones and chopped samples of ‘Sleeves Touch My Elbows’ bring the tempo up ever so slightly. ‘Sleeves Touch My Elbows’ isn’t super high-energy (patience!), it also has a very relaxed vibe to it, with cooler atmospherics complimenting hollow tones. What brings energy to ‘Sleeves Touch My Elbows’ are the warm, playful vocals that really lift the melody up, making it feel like a really refreshing track. It’s a bit brighter than ‘Mod’, but we’re still just easing into ‘Mosquito Love’ before we fully burst into something more vibrant when we reach ‘Mosquito pt.1’.

There’s no time for rest when ‘Mosquito pt.1’ kicks off. Straight away you’re drawn into its chopped vocals and latin-esque beat as the tempo jumps up again, making it extremely hard to sit still. ‘Mosquito pt.1’ is a song you can’t help but move to. There’s so much energy within it that within just a few seconds, your body feels compelled to get up and take on the song’s infectious power. Then, just as you get into the groove of ‘Mosquito pt.1’, the track moves seamlessly into ‘Mosquito pt.2’ and we get another dose of the cooler atmospherics ‘Mod’ and ‘Sleeves Touch My Elbows’ embodied.

‘Mosquito pt.2’ continues to keep the tempo of ‘Mosquito pt.1’ going, the main difference you feel between the two parts is that while ‘Mosquito pt.1’ felt very vibrant, ‘Mosquito pt.2’ feels slightly more controlled. The vocals take more of a back seat, echoing between the buzzing accent synths and steady high hat, while twinkling tones dance amongst deeper atmospherics. ‘Mosquito pt.2’ has the same atmosphere as someone moving through a city at dusk, while ‘Mosquito pt.1’ feels like a party smack bang in the middle of a summer’s day. Both tracks share the same level of intensity, the former simply brings you into a more insular world, while the latter focuses more on the external.

As the buzzing synths take us out of ‘Mosquito pt.2’, we then slide into ‘Best Of Me’, an incredibly smooth track that really feels like butter when it hits your ears. The bassline curves and swerves around speedy vocals, as the beat gently bounces beneath soft atmospherics. ‘Best Of Me’ is quote a soothing track, the melody flows so effortlessly, and nothing feels too sharp or edgy, instead its rounded, making this track feel quite unique compared to the other tracks on ‘Mosquito Love’. It’s an almost soothing palette cleanser we get to enjoy before we go full tilt into ‘Circuit Current’, a true collage of sound.

‘Circuit Current’ opens with chopped vocals skipping over hard and sharp tones and samples. The beat stands firm as the tempo lifts from the softer world of ‘Best Of Me’ and we enter a plethora of sharp synths, twinkling tones, playful pops and warped samples. ‘Circuit Current’ is incredibly fun, and it feels amazing to just hear each individual element of the melody play a very distinct part in the overall tapestry of sound 1tbsp has created.

‘Sour Berry’ is also a really fun track. The beat isn’t too heavy here, but it’s also not super light. It’s happily in the middle with muted tones, high claps and steady vocals bringing the overall feel of the track into more breezy territory. ‘Sour Berry’ does feel quite spacious and airy, especially with such an atmospheric bridge flowing through the already open melody. It’s a beautiful house soundscape that again, showcases how 1tbsp is able to bring a uniquely casual aura to the house genre.

‘Material Boy’ is a very sharp track, with vocals peering through light tones and metallic synths which feel not unlike seeing your own reflection in a broken mirror. It’s harsh, but still beautiful. The beat charges on with the pointed tones and synths sliding around it as it moves forward. The vocals are soft and balance out the harder elements, balancing it out in a really lovely way. ‘Material Boy’ is playful and sweet, despite its sharper elements, and is a wonderful closer to ‘Mosquito Love’.

1tbsp is a producer with so much to offer and ‘Mosquito Love’ is simply just another side of his incredible talents. With so many incredible tracks out in the world already, ‘Mosquito Love’ simply reminds us that really, 1tbsp has so much to offer. There are so many different sides to 1tbsp and we’re slowly getting to learn about each of them with every new release. ‘Mosquito Love’ may be 1tbsp’s debut album, but this is a producer who’s so skilled at what he does that it almost feels wise beyond its years.

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North American fans can catch 1tbsp touring throughout October/November while Australian fans can catch him at BIGSOUND in Brisbane on September 2nd & 3rd, as well as the Listen Out festival tour that will be taking place in Brisbane, Perth, Melbourne & Sydney this September – check out the dates, locations & ticketing info below!