At face value, one might assume that the Afro-Pop’s star brand new release explores topics of love from the common romantic gaze, but it actually takes a more wholesome approach—encompassing more facets of love and its dynamics.
Mayorkun’s sonic identity as an artist has always been built on familiar elements. His hit songs are the highlights of his discography and they’re all crafted on the sentiment of resonance and simplicity. He’s not an artist exactly known for exploring grand concepts or tackling nuanced topics, and he’s the farthest thing from pretentious also. He knows his strengths as an artist is creating great, resonant moments and he simply focuses on doing that to the best of his abilities. That’s why it makes a lot of sense why he chooses a topic like Love, to explore in its entirety.
Of course, he could have limited himself to elaborate musings and heartfelt confessions about the more romantic aspect of love, but for an artiste that understands that love is perhaps the most resonant topic ever, he understands taking such a one-dimensional approach would be wasting the potential of such topic. And so, he adopts a wider scope and the EP in general excels for it.
EP opener, For Free is an Afro-Swing record that hints at the notion that indeed Mayorkun is ready to evolve with the times and is making a conscious effort to maintain relevance in a vastly evolving market. “Pray for my enemies, protecting my energy” he sings over the dancehall infused bounce, emphasizing the larger-than-life love sentiment he’s iterating. He’s not even wishing bad on his detractors and he’s praying that they all succeed.
Thermo isn’t as meticulously written as For Free and is instead the more commercial leaning pop song, infused with log drums and a delivery that reminds you of Mayorkun’s prowess as a hitmaker with catchy lines, repetitive flows that have the tendency to get burnt in your memory. If indeed any song on the EP is going to take off and help the shelf life of this project, it’s got to be Thermo.
Lose Control has very soulful, rhythmic synthesizers and a bounce that evokes nostalgia. This is the slow burn on the project that has the potential to become a deep cut. Blxckie brings some much needed dynamism with an RnB-esque flow, that is a nice contrast to Mayorkun’s trademark pop one. It is this writer’s favorite track on the EP.
On EP closer, Lowkey!—Mayorkun momentarily deviates from musings of love and instead decides to big himself up and talk his shit. There are indeed downsides to being someone that embodies love and the chances of being taken for granted is very likely, and Mayorkun treads the topic, expressing his frustration and declaring his intent to rise above the nice. By doing that, he comes full circle and it is indeed the most befitting way to end the EP.
In an industry, that’s constantly evolving and artists feeling more pressure than ever to get with the times or get left behind in obscurity—the effort of this project is commendable from Mayorkun. It speaks volumes about his awareness and indeed there is some good material on here that could generate a moment, even if the whole project doesn’t take off. But that’s always being Mayorkun’s strength, his knack for making hits.
Final Verdict:
Sonic Cohesion: 1.4/2
Unharried Transitions: 1.5/2
Expansive Production: 1.3/2
Songwriting: 1.3/2
Optimal Track Sequencing: 1.5/2
Total: 7.0/10
–This review is written by T.J. Martins, an avid lover of music.
