By: Nerhys Hall
Toronto’s genre-bending band Delta Will writes eclectic songs exploring the human condition. Their latest album, Multitudes I EP, is the first offering in a three part release this year. Its six tracks continue the band’s psych-pop and soul influenced sound.
The opening song, “Liquid Magma”, begins with ambient sounds before a repeated pattern on the guitar enters. Soft, male falsetto vocals float over top of the instrumental layers. After the song fades out, track two, “Nothing Is Enough” enters more upbeat with a much fuller sound. Some cool guitar licks and vocal harmonies give this song a rock vibe.
A few tracks on Multitudes I bring a jazz-like sound to the mix. Songs three and four most notably, and the final song uses a touch of jazz, too. “Into the Wild”, the third song, features soft male vocals over top of cool rhythms, ambient noises, and layers that weave in and out. Something I really like about this song is the juxtaposition between laid back vocals and upbeat instruments. This gives the music a constant push-pull feeling. Track four, “Tout Va Bien”, an entirely instrumental track, begins with echo-y ambient noises. It features jazzy guitar and drums. The most interesting feature of this song are the staggered entries of each instrument and the various layers. The EP’s sixth and final song, “Feel Like”, has a much subtler jazz influence. The soft male vocals sound almost jazzy and though it is a fairly up-tempo song driven by percussion instruments, the vocals and guitar pull the beat backwards with a laid-back feeling.
The penultimate song, “No Skin No Bones”, is probably the most psychedelic-influenced song of the six. Beginning with a simple drum beat that continues throughout the song, it features soft male vocals, soft instrumentals, and flute-like sounds that give it an overall hazy, dreamy feeling.
Delta Will’s Multitudes I EP is a great start to their three-part release. It’s a fun, jazzy, pop-psych inspired album that listeners will love.