Local Review: finale – Proverbs

finale
Proverbs

Self-Released
Street: 03.18
finale = Netsky + Tycho + Flite

Producing a unique brand of ambien electronic/liquid drum and bass, finale’s newest EP, Proverbs, shows that he is not messing around. Five songs long and with a runtime just under 20 minutes, this effort will leave you wanting more, while still providing quality in where the album lacks in quantity. Finale creates pulsing atmospheres throughout this EP, allowing hushed riffs and samples to slowly build and linger on their own or to be accompanied with a classic drum and bass breakbeat.

Proverbs opens with “Copy/Paste,” a track that builds with drowning violin and sub bass that is later accompanied by echoed guitar, which carries a soothing pace through the rest of the track. As “Copy/Paste” fades out, the bass and piano riff of “Autophagy” is catapulted by a glitch-effect heavy breakbeat. The echoed effect of the piano as the track progresses adds so much space in the track and counters the beats beautifully. The following track, “Loves Notes,” comes across very similarly to the opening track, but builds more aggressively with lightly distorted bass that leaves the final half of the song with an added texture. As “Love Notes” fades, the liquid-sounding ambience grows as the lead piano riff in “Swans” starts. The riff is accompanied by a countering backbeat that creates a beautiful symmetry. The echoed piano keys throughout this track really pull it all together.

The final track, “Wax Poetic Youth,” opens with a slowly building bass and echoing piano you have become familiar with throughout the album. As the track progresses, it slowly gets more and more distorted with static as a vocal sample about worship tries to fight through the noise. I will say, at a point the static can start to make the track a little obnoxious compared to the rest of Proverbs. That said, this latest effort by finale is fantastic with its ability to create an atmosphere and use distortion to an advantage. I recommend checking out Proverbs and the rest of finale’s catalog on Soundcloud. –Connor Brady