EP Review Porij - Outlines

Manchester four-piece Porij have a terrific knack for making club tunes packed full of emotion, transporting UK garage energy into the ‘20s. Laying everything out on the ground while laying down addictive beats. Their influences are worn on their sleeves and in their lyrics: ‘Lose Our Minds’ namechecks Katy B while feeling the darker twin to Jayda G’s ‘Both Of Us’. ‘Automatic’ feels somewhere between the jitteriness of early Foals and the lush house of Disclosure. But this EP is still distinctly Porij. ‘Figure Skating’, with its propulsive beat, drags you with it as it speeds along. About to lose control but always saving your balance just in time, Porij are all about seeing where they can take a pop tune emotionally and sonically. Sometimes that means smashing together genres. Sometimes it’s about baring your soul over a 130BPM kick-snare beat. Sometimes it’s just about making something with a real groove. Their third EP, ‘Outlines’ shows they’ve still got plenty of places they want to take it.