THE MIX SOUNDS 28th March 2025
A heady rush of soaring vocal lines and funky burbling soul-jazz fills this set, which sits somewhere between an EP and an album with seven tracks. The sound is lovely, cool, grooving and channelling a retro-cool vibe. Emily Saunder’s voice is a classic jazz sound – sometimes breathy, sometimes cutesy-street sweet, sometimes offering a quiet aside, sometimes melding with the other instruments. The bass burbles and rushes and orchestral synth sounds fill it out.
There is less than half an hour of music here but it is so joyous that I found myself hitting play again as soon as it reached the end. On the opener and closer I hear aspects of the funky disco sound that alien-rockers, Henge, are starting parties with but I also hear vibes from the Seventies. Songs like ‘Floating’ are, unsurprisingly, dreamy concoctions. On ‘Rugged Waves’ there are Eastern tinges and a funky keyboard solo. On ‘Floating’ Saunder’s slightly treated voice is quiet but insistent atop a gentle synth wash. The opener, ‘Blue Skies Forever’ or ‘Sideways’ are great places to start but then, all the tracks have a sparkle, so drop in where you feel like, even on the psychedelically heady rush of ‘Mashup’ that closes the set. Riding punchy drums and bass it twists, turns, digs deep into jazz yet drags in pop melody and harmony.
This has sent me back to explore Saunder’s previous two albums but this new collection is the grooviest and most fun of the three.