Alaw is an instrumental Hip Hop artist from North Wales who prides herself in transforming and elevating sounds to create something that is emotionally driven and charged with sound! Her latest EP illustrates this fact. Created over the course of 2021, Alaw has released a collection of instrumental music that is easily the most lyrically-driven piece of instrumental music I have come across in a long time.
Entitled Metamorphosis, Alaw’s latest release contains eight tracks:
- Intro
- A Forest’s Tears
- Sounds You Do Not Realize
- Hang Up
- A Moonlight’s Reflection
- City’s Folklore
- Onwards
- Split
In this EP review, the focus will be on the EP’s songs that highly show the theme of change – a metamorphosis.
We start with “A Forest’s Tears,” a metaphorical track that features subdued soundscapes and infused samples. “A Forest’s Tears” is a socially cautious song that illustrates the environmental state of our globe. The way that Alaw produced this track with experimental, electronic, instrumentation, it is as if the forests are literally crying. A wonderful musical sentiment is created at the 2-minute/16-second mark where the song scales back a bit and creates a withdrawn vibe. The piano gives such tranquillity to the track.
Next, is “Hang Up,” the woke song of the collection. Filled with 1970s R&B samples, “Hang Up” gives the listening audience sounds that may seem familiar to but have been reworked by Alaw to describe a message of change. This huge percussive track has a hook that comes across in the same manner that a town crier announces judgment or warnings – it is ever-present and continuous. “Hang Up” gives off an interpretation of social media to me – that chaotic online social structure that often needs to be muted for society to really have a conversation. The productive techniques which include a vocal sample, scratching, and varied percussions, create a clamouring effect. Still, the internal instrumentation of the track gives a nod to silence. Nice mix on this track.
“City’s Folklore” is the quiet storm of the EP. The lone piano lyrically telling the story of the urban jungle’s ever-changing dialogue is classically awesome. The way that Alaw melodically loops backbeats throughout the cut tied to a modest tempo makes “City’s Folklore” both contemplative and meditative – a musical montage. This is a nice piece of Jazz Rap instrumentation that is full of melody and character.
Lastly, there is “Split.” This eclectic piece of music is very soothing. The inclusion of brass established a more conservative piece. With “Split,” Alaw creates a musical juxtaposition of dual tempos by creatively twisting samples into unrecognizable pieces of dope music. So, the song is not that much a story, but more of an instrumental sketch of the storyteller’s creativity.
It is exceedingly difficult to create and execute music while recreating samples with synth and sounds without lyrics and get across a message. Yet, Alaw has accomplished this with one EP. Very Jazz-Rap forward, this EP will provide the needed explosion of emotions and musical charge that audiences are craving.
Metamorphosis was released in January of this year and is available on Spotify and Apple Music.
