With abyssinian, the standout single from their sophomore album, The Soft Parts unfurled a texturally intricate sonic tableau which refuses to settle into predictability.
Opening with cinematic neo-classical grandeur, abyssinian invites listeners to stroll through the golden age of film scores, before the chill of avant-garde influences begins to weave through the organic warmth of the basslines. Playful polyphonic keys soon take centre stage, creating a delicate tension as each instrumental element works in purposeful juxtaposition to the next. When the neo-classical keys return with greater tenacity, they anchor the composition, ensuring it never spirals into abstraction despite its eclecticism.
The Soft Parts, the project of a Houston-based composer and sound artist, brings together a unique palette of influences spanning classical music, art rock, cocktail jazz, and lounge music. These influences shaped abyssinian into what could best be described as funk-inflected art pop, dipped in the moody magnetism of New Tango and Arab musical textures.
abyssinian pulls listeners into its orbit, making them feel the landscape of its creation as it swaggers, scintillates, and soothes in equal measure. If you want to stray away from sonic monotony, hit play.
Abyssinian was officially released as part of The Soft Parts’ sophomore LP, innuendo, on January 3rd; stream the single on all major platforms, including Spotify, now.
Review by Amelia Vandergast