Reveiw:
Brién - Sundried
Brién’s first single from upcoming mixtape DIY VOL.1 is aptly named ‘Sundried’ due to its sun kissed sound that instantly gets you ready for sitting next to a swimming pool while sipping a Sex on the Beach. The chilled hip-hop instrumental accents Brien’s melodic vocals in such a way that creates a sonic landscape fit for a celebrity living in L.A.
The jazzy and soulful approach to any of Brién’s productions is a staple of his audio identity and it’s fully flourished into a league of its own here. The sax by Dublin‘s Ryan Hargadon on this track achieves the target of the famous Miles Davis appropriated Claude Debussy quote of “Music is the space between the notes” along with a cherished drum sample by Brién fit for any modern hip-hop head. Finding the balance between his slow, soothing vocals and the instrumentation results in a delightful silk cushion to the ears.
The single from the upcoming E.P. by the Belfast local signals a change of gear from his dancefloor ready pumpers that have graced the likes of AVA’s various events and even through the airwaves of BBC Radio 1. The organic journey through‘Sundried’ gives you an insight into the natural abilities in all things crescendo that comes with being a successful dancefloor conductor on a much more relaxed scale.
The lyrics on the track portray a defiant oblivion to the world around him, the backdrop of a global pandemic is consciously lost to a blissful state of ignorance that is incredibly welcomed in a world of seemingly constant disarray and dismay; “Suns high, I ain’t feeling low” gives us all the optimism needed to accompany the slow grooves that build up to sweet releases, at an impossibly accessible altitude . Finding the escapist utopia in this masterfully produced track could give even the most morally bankrupt politician reason to just sit back and appreciate the sunlight coming through the blinds.
The deep layers of musical influence on the instrumentation spawns a sense of wanderlust that only strengthens on repetition and provides a tranquillity only really matched by morphine. Brién’s understanding of hip-hop’s essence, crate-digging for samples in obscurity is fully realised and gives a new dimension to a genre that has been hinted at with previous SoundCloud releases like ‘Careful!’ or ‘The Place is Space’ that ooze gentle jazz funk rhythms, painting pictures of Sun Ra, Parliament and late Donald Byrd as much as they do more modern portraits of Knxwledge, Yussef Dayes or the ethereal sounds of James Blake.
DIY VOL.1 will be out on July 24th through Soft Boy Records and we can’t wait to get the summertime soundtrack this release is shaping up to be with just the first single a sweet insight into great things to come.
Make sure you follow Brién on Instagram @briienn
and be ready for the release of the summer.
D.I.Y VOL.1 is out 24 on Soft Boy RecordsListen to ‘Sundried’ here:
https://brien1.bandcamp.com/album/diy-vol-1
Cover Designed by https://www.instagram.com/ogkojaque/?hl=en
Cover Photography by https://www.instagram.com/annapatterson_/