Montreal beat maker and producer Spliff Jacksun returns with a sophomore album, where 24 short tracks unfold that document his existence in his city. It’s a groove-filled, keys and bass-heavy affair that often seems like it should soundtrack a not-so-wild party that goes well into the night.
“Moments (Reflections)” gets the listen off to a drum-focused start, where seemingly random soundbites and a droning, hip-hop quality is present. “In The Park” then follows with the sounds of a crowd talking amid graceful piano and firm beats, and it isn’t long until the charming crackling of “Those Dreaming Eyes” flows with gentle guitar that’s even a bit dreamy in its meticulous vision.
Approaching the middle, at under a minute long, “A Little Early” makes quite an impression with its calm rhythm and authentic soulfulness, while “Dreaming Of The Usual,” the longest track at not even three minutes, uses vocals sparingly and glowing keys in spades against the well timed beats. “Frames Per Second,” another lounge-friendly tune, then takes nods to jazz ideas in its hip-hop fueled delivery.
Inching towards the end, “Catch The Train” uses repetition and wordless vocals to its very strategic advantage, and “New Endings (Credits)” exits the listen with a hypnotic and swirling energy that’s got big-city life written all over it.
An album that embraces the hustle and bustle of urban life, but also focuses much on intimacy, Hitherto offers a unique blend of light and dark textures, busy versus bare instrumentation, and meditative meets animated songwriting. Even though it’s quite a lot of songs, only a few surpass the two-minute mark, and the experience is best absorbed as a whole anyway, to extract the most enjoyment.
