We Must Believe in Spring. Those words couldn't be any more relevant than right now. After months of freezing temperatures, gray skies, and isolation, the year's greenest season is one of the most desired things for many of us.
After following Psalm Trees and Guillaume Muschalle's first footsteps "Who Knows" and "Desire" it was pretty clear to me - once again the team at Chillhop Music will deliver beyond expectations.
With a nod to Bill Evans' jazz album from the late '70s, the instrumental LP displays a positive message of art and collaboration and community, continuing down the road unknown with optimism and hope.
The album's opening track "She Won't Say" lays down a rather mellow atmosphere. At its core, the 2 minutes and 24 seconds track reminds me of the mythical lands of Southeast Asia. The title sents hints of sadness, which is perfectly transcribed in the sonic journey created by Ben and Guillaume.
I love how the duo quickly changes the vibe and by the time the listener reaches "Some Are Of Love", the listener is immediately sent to a boom bap-driven freshness. It almost feels like a statement of what this release aims to do - to transform mellowness into hopefulness. The distant female vocals feel like petals and while I know this may sound weird, it does make a weird sense in my head. I was pleasantly surprised to see a "bringmesun" follow-up in the tracklist of We Must Believe in Spring. The original was from Chillhop's Spring Essentials 2020) and it was one of my favorite instrumentals last year.
I would like to highlight a few elements, rather than individual beats. The guitar licks on "Holding No Hands" featuring No Spirit paired with the jazzy piano really made my afternoon. My other wow moment was "Wingspan" with Moose Dawa. The early 80s feel to that bassline is just superb. Honestly, the 2 times I heard the album back to forth are not enough to explore all those tiny elements, but I do know that I feel lighter after this sonic experience.
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In addition, I want to give props to the creative team at Chillhop. It took me a bit, but I realized that the first 2 singles are utilizing bits and pieces of the general album artwork - the house and the trees were taken out of the big picture and shared with us, the audience. What a great way to utilize visual work and share with fans along the way.
What can I say? This release is a true gem and deserves a spot in your collection. Stream, support and get your vinyl here.
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