IT'S ALL SWINGS AND ROUNDABOUTS AT IZAK'S JUVENILE HILL
Artist and producer Izak spells his name like he makes his music, striking, clear-cut and straight talking. Juvenile Hill is his self-produced debut EP impeccably timed for the 2017 British summer.
The introductory song Hideout begins like the score of a scary movie before getting bumpy (at one point I thought I heard my phone ringing), flutes and an electric guitar unusually mixed that just works perfectly. Izak administers playful voice inflections then once you're comfortable the song takes an unexpected change of direction on what I'd describe as the bonus extended outro. Come Up is the one to hype you up. This feels like a direct hit after Hideout and ingeniously samples American Blues Rock band Alabama Shakes.
Every urban EP has to have the required ladies anthem. Sexy and understated Call My Phone is the offering and it fulfils being that it's particularly well written. I confess to having this one on repeat trying to learn the words to sing along and would probably consider this R&B/Trap with that island influence. My personal favourite would be a throw up between this and Lovers Intermission. Izak keeps it fresh switching back and forth from his normal London vernacular and Jamaican twang to give it that sprinkling of extra guaranteed boomness.
Lovers Intermission is a nice follow-up on Call My Phone, the continuation delving deeper like the title suggests for the lovers, those have loved or just love good music.
In Pull Up Izak gives a lesson on how to use your voice as an instrument coupled with an unrelenting flow.
“Man don’t sing, Man serenade. Them man sour like lemonade”
Open Tab put simply is a story, with a chorus that could be a nightly prayer also another song on the EP that takes an unexpected change in direction musically.
For only 6 tracks, Izak managed to paint a pretty big and well detailed picture. 22 minutes listening to this is time well spent, everything is intentional in the construction maximising the brief introduction because every component has purpose. Over all this EP is built from stand alone songs that form a synchronised collection, where no two rhythms are the same. Izak is an artist that should commend himself on a prolific debut presentation of his work.
Written by Irene Priestnal