Sonder Drops Sultry Debut
Sonder. Photo: Uncredited/Courtesy of Artist/Facebook
There’s something to be said when artists who share a similar mindset and sound get together to create something new. Sometimes collaborative efforts can fall flat and go nowhere, even if the songs see the light of day. However, for Sonder, the fact that those within the new group share a common interest just makes the tracks hit as they’re intended. On their new EP Into, the three-piece featuring Houston’s Dpat alongside Atu and Brent Faiyaz, the group presents some of the sexiest tracks to drop this year so far.
They get started with the slow burning track “Feel” where the vocals sway onto the track and add a smooth vibe that’s only escalated by Faiyaz and Atu’s vocal prowess. These two together seem to feed off of one another while Dpat’s production offers up the opening soundtrack to either a sexual revolution or just a late night interlude. This matures through the second track with the abundant and rich energy of “Lovely.” There’s a subtle darkness that lingers in the backing tracks while the peppered combination of vocals dances atop lush bass lines and a beat that doesn’t stop, creating sounds like dalliance. The real truth lies in the beats housed in the song, they groove things along and you should find yourself bopping in unison as they thump throughout.
By the third track you should be invested, if not for only trying to see what this three-piece brings to the following songs. With “Sirens,” they opt for a softer approach in opening, before straying and dropping beats and elements that make the track hit with a depth you wouldn’t expect. This is echoed on the fourth song as well. The lengthiest track of the seven, “Too Fast” combines all of the previous elements to create a banger that you will not shake after the first listen. While the tempo never gets fast in terms of progressions, that doesn’t mean that it doesn’t hit like it’s intended to. Live drums, a syrupy bass, and varying strings and keys collaborate and dance together while the vocals define copulation with hints of animalistic carnality in the breaks. While the interlude sensation of “Baldwin Park” finds it’s way onto the release, and the following track “Searchin” keeps in line with the rest of the album, it’s the sultry simplicity of the album’s closer “Care” that’s the hardest to shake. With an essence that’s closer to the tracks that Maxwell dropped in the ’90s, Sonder creates a very subtle nod to the R&B jams of the past with acoustic guitar and a very unpretentious beat from snaps that stops as soon as it gets going, but still leaves it’s mark as if it were coming in much harder.
The end result is another classic release involving Houston’s Dpat. The tracks come off like a sultry soundtrack to late nights while hitting with an intensity that most can’t achieve whilst swinging a much larger stick. The collaboration with Atu and Faiyaz really bring things together in a way that makes you want to turn off the lights and place your phone on silent. The album is only twenty five minutes in length, but the depth of that time should resonate with anyone after the first listen. While Sonder doesn’t have any live dates scheduled yet, you can pick up the release through all the digital outlets now.
