Album Reviews

Brainfeeder

British lo-fi producer Felix Clary Weatherall delivers his highly impressive and experimental debut album as Ross From Friends, Family Portrait. Having garnered attention with a clutch of hazy, immersive tracks across Breaker Breaker, Lobster Theremin, Distant Hawaii and Magicwire, the distinctive producer returns to Flying Lotus’ inimitable Brainfeeder imprint for his standout debut. Consistently pushing boundaries and experimenting, the record combines unusual structures, off-kilter rhythms and manipulated grooves.

Yet for all its forward-thinking approach, Family Portrait is still driven by warmth and rich melodies. Hazy synths, stretched-out pads, melodic basslines and drifting harmonies waft over deep bass, grainy beats and jagged drum machines to create an immersive soundscape. The interaction between dreamy synths and melodies with a tougher and a rawer bottom-end brings an emotional intelligence to the record, which is amplified by his own voice. It’s layered but free-flowing construction creates space for emotions to spill out from the bristling bottom-end and catch a wave of air above to lift the entire record into an ethereal gust of memories and hopes.

A wonderful and unpredictable debut, Family Portrait is the perfect snapshot of an artist who has a singular vision, aimed not just at simply sounding good, but at elevating the entire discussion too.

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