Lontalius lets his somber side show on "Kick in the Head"

01 December 2015, 09:48 | Written by Grant Rindner

(Tracks)

(Lontalius)

On "All I Wanna Say", Lontalius went for a moody, electronic soundscape, creating a sense of James Blake-esque melancholy. That sense of soulful yearning returns for "Kick in the Head," but he's swapped the synths for a messier, more organic backdrop that works to great effect.

An expert at making subtle, emotive music, Lontalius' (Eddie Johnston's) new track requires you pay close attention to pick up on its intricacies. There are shades of DIY artists like Alex G here in the way that subtle melodies - both vocal and instrumental - drift in and out of focus amid the wall of chugging chords.

Lontalius' voice turns the track into a gloomy detachment from reality, as it rarely rises above a mutter. For a young artist, he's already found an impressive comfort zone as a singer, and one that allows him to experiment with different instruments and production styles around it.

He proved he could thrive on a more uptempo electronic track with his CutMyLips collaboration "Mooncatch," and clearly has a strong ability to layer his voice in exciting ways.

Speaking about the track, Lontalius says: "This is an older song, I wrote it as a lo-fi, shoegaze-y demo a few years ago. It took on a new life when I started playing it at shows with my band. It's one of the rockier songs on the album and it's a bit different from what I've released in the past.”

There's a reason Lontalius has earned a co-sign from Ryan Hemsworth already, and "Kick in the Head" is another testament to his raw talent as a musician.

Lontalius' debut album is due in 2016 on Partisan Records.