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Review: Here's To Death by Telamonia


On reviewing Telamonia's track Salt In My Eyes, the lead single from the Here's To Death EP, I was taken aback by the abnormal soundscapes that were created, but revelled in the delightfully dark nature that was exposed from a simple trap beat structure. It made me eager to hear the EP from which it was taken, and how the track would mould itself into the context of the project. The one thing Salt In My Eyes perhaps didn't purvey so much was the personality and thematic sense that Telamonia has aimed for, but with Here's To Death this is resolved completely.

The EP maintains much of Telamonia's experimental and warped sonic palette, for the most part sounding as if Aphex Twin had decided to dabble in trap. However, what it also does is bring to the fore the dark lyrical themes of emotional pain, mental health issues and substance abuse. It approaches these topics in an often stark and very raw fashion, and it gives Telamonia's musical creations a whole other depth to them.

Beginning with the introductory track Drunk, the album immediately pulls you into it's twisted sonic world. The stereo panning walls of synthesiser, the pitch shifting voices and the creepy organs all conglomerate into a disturbing ambient beginning. It leads straight into Salt In My Eyes, which now feels almost radio-friendly in comparison. The psychedelic swirls and Earl Sweatshirt-esque musings stand out as a sumptuous first cut on the record.

Mania Depression is where things really take a turn; from the get-go it's far more immediate and the vocal is no longer obscured by effects. For the first time we really get an insight into Telamonia's personality and emotions, and the track provides two contrasting sides to this. The dramatic first half takes place over over huge electro synths and spacey beats. It's full of harshly delivered lines exploring the background to Telamonia's mental state in a way somewhat reminiscent of Eminem in his prime. The second movement is beautifully melodic and emotionally wrought in the way that Mac Miller used to do so well, with piano chords pushed up into distortion and Telamonia's vocal taking on a softer tone.

Bitch, I'm So Gone keeps the melancholia running with it's haunting Crystal Castles-esque synth lines and pulsing beats, but the production really sits as secondary to the vocals here. For the most part the flows follow the same path as Mania Depression, with a bounce and timbre that is by now familiar, though the words themselves are more subtle and metaphorical. Once again Telamonia throws things out with a final contorted flourish that leaves no ounce of light.

The title track begins with Telamonia exploring a more organic production, with shuffling drum kit beats and spliced guitar lines overlaid by a grizzly rhythmic vocal delivery. Soon though things go full on SOPHIE with a complete tangent into audacious hyperbass synths. It's brilliantly bonkers, and a potentially genius moment on this record, but I don't feel enough is done with it; the vocals and drum beat remain the same throughout this madness, while the track soon returns to it's opening salvo before closing out.

The final track Poltergeist is a terrifying mesh of dark psychedelic sounds and Telamonia's baritone drawl, and once again there is some deeper imagery involved in the lyrics. However there's also a certain despondency to the track, particularly in the doom laden final movement, and it ends the record in a particularly depressive way.

It's not always easy in any genre to get such personal and emotive lyrical themes to match the music they're set to, but it's particularly tricky when dealing with the natural energy of hip-hop. Telamonia has however done an excellent job of manipulating and reimagining the sounds of trap into a symbiosis with the lyrical themes of Here's To Death. Some of these ideas are truly fantastic, if not quite fully realised, and there is a huge amount of potential here for Telamonia to develop further. Here's To Death feels like a catharsis, both sonically and lyrically, and as he continues his musical journey, this EP will stand as a powerful piece of creativity from which Telamonia can build his sound.


Here's To Death is released May 21st 2021 on all streaming services.

You can listen to Telamonia's music on Spotify and Apple Music, and follow on Instagram and Facebook.

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