Live Review: Recluse and his Hinata EP are straight from your technicolour dreams

It's a luxury when a debut release captures the sound of the artist as masterfully as RECLUSE and his Hinata EP does. From the opening moments of this stellar cornerstone of Recluse's relatively short career - out via LA-based label ONE EIGHT HUNDRED - you get a clear, unfiltered sense of where this artist is headed. Here's a hint: it's somewhere plucked straight from your video game fantasy.

It doesn't take long to pick this up. In the first few seconds of opener and standout 'Morning Sunlight', your mind is splashed with vivid hues of pink, gold and blue. It's the soundtrack to your ideal Mario Kart course, with every synth and every bit of percussive intensity positively beaming optimism and hope. The title track, featuring vocals from ROSEBUD LEACH, is slightly grittier affair. Leach's distorted vocals matched with Recluse's thumping production make for a track that is relentlessly energetic before an explosive climax.

As the panning synths from 'Youkai' beam through your ears, vibrance and warmth flood every extension of your body. It's a hyper-pop experience that, true to form, doesn't slouch on the percussion. Finally, consider closing track 'Crystals' the boss level of this stunning release. It's dark, it's exhilarating and it's difficult to get through without letting yourself experience it again and again. It'll get your heart racing with every run, and is a perfect way to wake up from this technicolour dream.

Words by JACKSON LANGFORD

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