Hereinafter

I have been watching the progression of electronic duo Koven since their release of 'More Than You' which took the UK EDM scene by storm, and then I backtracked and listened to their first EP 'Wake You Up' which gives me shivers to this day. I can't tell you the excitement I felt when I saw the release of their new two part EP 'Hereinafter'. I was hooked immediately and taken on a journey from a place of bright trance-like anthems with soaring vocals and swooning strings in Part 1, to a darker world of tension, reflection and distortion explored in Part 2.

I can't get over their use of light and dark. I feel it is such a strong theme in this work. They have always been masters of the build up, and the intensity of a drop in one of their tracks can't really be challenged. Plus we all love a good side-chained synth, and they deliver. But this EP shows a deeper and more cinematic level to their work. The instrumentation is refined, and they aren't afraid to play with the texture of their songs, going from delicate piano to thick strings and bass that shake relentlessly in our ears in a matter or seconds. Something that can be challenging when producing music like this can be the songwriting process. When production takes priority, often songwriting/lyrical content isn't such an important feature, which is often why so many works in this broad genre are collaborative pieces. But in this EP, as with a lot of their other songs, Koven's writing is fluent and strong, which I feel is now a crucial part of their identity.

"This is my last call for things to get better,

Frozen, I can't breathe at all."

I feel the song 'Final Call' deserves its own piece altogether. What a finale! An introduction of solemn, desperate vocals which quickly picks up pace and grows as a deep piano is introduced and the strings jar with one another. It is tragic and broken. The vocalist is searching for strength and consolidation. It empties to ambience and space as she wails with fainting strings before it fades out to nothingness. This makes room for a haunting piano riff to play, accompanied with staccato strings that build to a climax.

The drop is like no other. I could listen to it over and over again. At the point of most fragility, the vocals cry to be heard, and the bass answers. Strings scream as she 'finds strength', and you as the listener fall apart and lose yours. It ends this way, with the listener feeling almost as if they are left on the brink; that something doesn't quite add up and they want to hear more. An act of songwriter storytelling that leaves you desperate for the sequel.

An electronic masterpiece. In my eyes, this EP gives even beloved 'Massive Attack' (yes, I can't believe that I'm saying this) a run for their money.

Listen to their music here on Soundcloud or search on Spotify.

AKC x