Live Review: Willaris. K has 'Risen' with his mammoth new single

NSW North Coast producer WILLARIS. K  has dropped a taste of his long awaited debut EP in the form of 'Risen' - a 7-minute odyssey into dense and emotional electronica. His EP, Alchemy, is due out in June via Soothsayer.

The name of his debut EP is fitting, as Alchemy was the track that turned Willaris. K from an unknown North Coast producer to a nationally recognised electronic powerhouse, scoring regular airplay on FBi and Triple J and honing his craft at Splendour in the Grass, Groovin' The Moo and Laneway Festival. His follow-up singles 'Dour Nights' and 'River Song' earned him recognition outside of Australia and set the ball in motion for his debut EP.

'Risen' is as immense as the title might suggest, taking the listener on a journey of tumultuous electronica that doesn't hold back. Setting the scene with a pounding kick, the track builds up layers of buzzing synths mixed with abstract samples almost suffocating in its intensity. This section morphs away into a softer breakdown with piano and anxious strings, which quickly builds up again through arpeggiated bleeps. It's the climax where all these elements come together, pounding percussion mixing with klaxon-like synths in a perfect conclusion of the journey.

Willaris. K says the track was "a bit of a breakthrough where I blocked out everything that was happening around me and just wrote something that was a reflection of how I was feeling at the time." To carry across this sense of journey, change and triumph in a purely instrumental track is an absolute feat. It reminds me of the kinds of songs 70s progressive rock bands like YES did, telling the story of an epic battle through twenty minute songs with five unique sections and a hundred guitar solos. 'Risen' packs that same punch in a 7 minute run-time - a feat of songwriting and production alike. Here's hoping his upcoming 'Alchemy' EP nets him even more success when it drops in June, because if 'Risen' is anything to go by, it's sure to be an absolute banger.

Photo by NWM

Words By Max Lewis

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