Canadian producer Shelley Johannson is making a second appearance on Sian’s Octopus Black Label this year. While “Midnight Red” was a lot more subtle in its execution, “Moody Bloom” seems to abandon any form of politeness with three much tougher tracks. If you compare these tracks to Johannson’s earlier work under her “Shelley” alias, you’ll notice a shift to a much darker sound, but also that each release brings something different to the table. This has definitely contributed to the support from respected names such as Ida Engberg, Sam Paganini, Gregor Tresher and Sian, but I suspect that many more will follow once this EP is officially released.
“Moody Bloom” features hard hitting percussion and acidic arpeggios. Shrill sound effects mark the transitions between the alternating sections of this track that are either percussion driven or feature the main riff as well. The track is quite minimal, which is usually fine with me, but during the second half of the journey I started to notice that the range of elements is a bit small. This makes the track somewhat monotone as a result.
“Deleted Dreams” is more melodic. Driving forces are a rolling bass sequence and a high pitched 8bit lead that’s somewhat reminiscent of Oxia’s track “Domino”. Coupled with dark vocal cuts, slight adjustments and more automation, Johannson showcases a track with more variation and attention to detail. This a minimal, but also melodic weapon that’s easily my favorite track of the EP.
“You Will See” felt like a blast from the past, for listening to it instantly brought me back to Mark Reeve’s Drumcode EP from 2012. While the styles are similar, Johannson definitely provides her own, modern take on it and combines a harsh bass loop and sinister vocals with a minimal beat and light, tribal percussion. Overall, the tone of this track is upbeat and the energy is relentless. It won’t let you go until the bitter end.
“Moody Bloom” will be out tomorrow on Octopus Black Label.