Kuedo - Severant (Vinyl LP, CD)

'Severant' is a marvel of a debut LP from this former half of tuff dark grime duo Vex'd. Gone are the ominous atmospheres and pummelling stalker beats/breaks of yore and also much of the wayward technicolour muntering wonky he was producing recently only to usher in snappy ghetto beats, elegiac keys, kosmische moodscapes and heartbreak Balearic/"chillwave" vibes. It's a properly fresh stew he's a-cooking here, Mr. Teasdale, and I suspected from first listen this was going to feature in my albums of the year. Now that's an absolute! It's difficult to actually isolate any tracks for individual merit as 'Severant' truly works as an all-too-brief odyssey infused with both a free-spirited optimism and a regretful quality that is incredibly profound. The synths throughout tug at your emotions longingly whilst the crisp, frisky sounding beats fizz, hyper-click, rush and swagger for the duration. It's chock-full of sensual poppy rhythms and sad melodies and I feel a deep affinity with just about every tune. Identity is the key here, the template of sound isn't varied that much, keeping a blissfully coherent feel to proceedings but the tunes and ideas are in real abundance here. Those who heard, nay felt Vex'd knew of their deep commitment to punchy atmosphere-drenched production and although this is an entirely lighter and more reflective journey, it's nonetheless an all-enveloping one which you will be re-visiting for years, One of those albums you rather miss when it's finished! That beautiful.