One of the greatest treasures about working in the Music Industry, is that you’re constantly introduced to new music. Now, sometimes–okay, a lot of the time–this music is trash, but every so often, you’ll find a diamond in the rough. Searching through the depths of Audiomack, I recently stumbled across said jewel, and his name is Kwaku Asante. Hailing from Northwestern London, the 24-year-old crooner released one of the most engaging projects of the season with his debut EP, honeycomb.
Clocking in at 6-tracks and 26-minutes, the EP is fairly short, but serves as a brilliant appetizer for the inevitable main course. Kicking things off with, “AWOL,” Asante immediately establishes himself as a credible writer, pouring his heart out completely, which is usually saved for the middle/end of the album. In doing this though, I can imagine he kept a lot of first time listeners on board. Personally, I’d say the genius in this project is most likely found its unpredictability. Utilizing 6 different sounds to make 6 completely different songs, Asante somehow found a way to make it sound incredibly cohesive.
As for the standouts from the project, it ward be criminal not to mention the EP’s crown jewel in, “Molasses.” Calling on a funky baseline to serve as the conductor of this journey, Asante smoothly assimilates with the production, asserting himself as part of the instrumentation and making for a beautifully written record that’s easy to dance to, which is not an easy accomplishment. It would also be hard to write this piece without talking about the aforementioned songs follow up, “Smoke & Mirrors.” Adjusting the swing just a tad bit to fit a more chill vibe, “Smoke & Mirrors” is my bet to become a fan-favorite.
Take a listen to the album below and get familiar with London’s newest Soul star.
