Music: Clever Austin – Pareidolia

Born near the Blue Mountains in Australia and originally a hip-hop producer, talented musician Clever Austin has been on my radar for a while now with his stellar releases on Wondercore Island, as well as being the drummer for Hiatus Kaiyote. He has come through with his brand new debut album titled Pareidolia, a gorgeous futuristic soulful album that brings spiritual grooves and a whole lot of funk. It is also the first release on Touching Bass, my favourite London-based collective. So a major shoutout to Errol and team for putting this together.

Where to start with this release? From the angelic opening on “Mist,” to the heavy basslines and guitar licks on “Unipvich” and “Speckle,” the album opens up with fireworks and again, a whole lotta funk. Those basslines are just gorgeous and bring so much soul to the music. the Jon Bap feature on the lead single “Blue Tongue” brings swirling synths and a Prince-like aura from Jon’s eclectic vocal performance. Another highlights includes the darker, eerier tone on “Dime Head,” with vocal off-kilter drumming and weird sound effects that really bring out the eclectic, unsettling tone that makes this song captivating. Melbourne-based singer Laneous brings the soul on “Catapult,” with heavy tribal percussive elements to the track that bring out so much intense energy to the music that it’s impossible not to bring out that stank face when listening to it. “Mother Ship Strip” is a seven minute monster of a track that features bass-heavy beats with a spoken word piece from Cazeaux O.S.L.O. “Ark” is a sublime, string-filled track and the Georgia Anne Muldrow featured “You Are All You Need” is a stunning cut as well.

This project man, goddamn… Clever Austin killed it with this release. Melbourne has truly found a new musical ambassador and I can’t wait to see his growth moving forward. He’s an incredible artist that really needs all the love he can get because he deserves it 1000%. You can listen to Clever Austin’s debut album Pareidolia below via Bandcamp below, and make sure you support! Once again, released via my friends at Touching Bass. Keep thriving folks!