Artist-producer 92elm has built an audience around smooth sounds and heartfelt melodies. The acclaimed engineer is based in Philadelphia and has been making waves both as a solo artist and working with others, releasing a steady string of singles and EPs as he refines a uniquely interesting style.
92elm‘s latest release sees the artist once again take on the multi-track EP, with three new tunes joining enticing teasers ‘Stasis’ and ‘Tell no Tales’. As the opener, ‘Stasis’ is an ethereal and graceful dive into 92’s sound, with neo-soul pouring from every crevice, but receiving a healthy balance of hip-hop and R&B influences to achieve an infinitely warm soundscape, that gives the listener an instantly summer lounging feeling. ‘Dead Ends’ then leans into the groovy electronica that comes on the flip side of the producer’s sound. melodic bass lines dive through octave jumps and vocal line mimics to craft a funk-fuelled atmosphere decorated with e-piano, filtered guitars and swirling synths.
As we hit the halfway point, ‘Closer’ arrives as an emotive and darker addition to the tracklist, huge bass notes cut through the low end, whilst steady drums and falling melodies add a sense of sultry romance to the haziness. The opening moments of ‘Mask’ immediately draw you in, with the simple synth sound honed into perfection and supported by orchestral string arrangements. The track builds so steadily, that it takes a while to realise all the rising momentousness is originally achieved with no drums, making the moment the groove kicks back in a spellbinding fuel-up. ‘Tell no Tales’ continues to be a gorgeous and easygoing groove, firing out sleek sounds and expecting nothing but movement in return. It’s a really strong project from 92elm, showcasing the boundaries of his signature sound whilst remaining a cohesive summer hit.
The artist dives into the new project, ”This EP is a leap forward for me – My vocals & lyric writing are more up front & honest than anything I’ve created in the past. The EP contains themes of loss, pain, feeling stagnant in life, and moving through these things in the process of stepping into myself fully. That’s why I titled it “There You Are” because writing about these challenging experiences helped me locate myself.”