Sam Akpro - Evenfall

With this full-length debut, Sam Akpro builds on the reputation of his earlier releases, painting a vivid – if almost entirely grey-hued – picture of modern metropolitan malaise. ‘Evenfall’ finds the Peckham native using layered sounds – the sneaking in of a dial-up modem here (‘I Can’t See The Sun’), stabs of disco strings there (‘City Sleeps’) what appears to be a whirring helicopter (‘Baka’) to add further intensity to a set of songs which, through a combination of ennui-infused lyrics and dynamic beats, are themselves already evocative of place – the city – and time – after dark. A quiet euphoria of ‘Chicago Town’ is found within Sam’s repeated refrain, “So we both / Stay afloat,” itself floating above whirring, discordant guitar lines. ‘Cherry’ uses a drum’n’bass style rhythm alongside building layers of softly-delivered vocals to hypnotic – if anxiety-reflecting – effect. Opener ‘I Can’t See The Sun’ reeks of shuffling along damp city pavements, its combination of post-punk bassline and sluggish ska-like beat resulting in an antsy, contemporary mirror image of The Specials’ iconic ‘Ghost Town’, while ‘Tunnel Vision’, perhaps the most immediate number here, its use of literal television tuning sounds winking knowingly alongside distorted, repeated vocals that can’t help but nod to Gorillaz combining to enchanting effect. Gloomy and often claustrophobic – much like the city that birthed it – ‘Evenfall’ is an intricate snapshot.