Tiello 'Crabtree' EP review | The yin and the yang
For every artist who has been releasing music recently, the past two years have dramatically shaped their lives and the sound they've produced in this large chunk of time. Now, not to sound like a broken record regarding the pandemic, but this has especially been the case for Tiello’s newest EP. Himself a fairly new artist on the scene, he recently talked in an interview about the influence of his 2020-2021 experience for ‘Crabtree’, a three-piece release which is part of Aera’s new imprint, Applied Magic. ‘Crabtree’ is a snapshot-in-time of Tiello’s lockdown experience; a musical diary entry if you may.
Even before we begin to listen, the artwork gives us a clear indication of what to expect. Firstly, it's vibrant. But secondly, there's a mix of the natural world around us - the sun, water, and shrimp - connected to a synthesizer we can only presume has been part of the production process. Quite appropriately, given the EPs name, we see a tree and a crab holding onto a plug and a thought bubble telling us he's feeling locked away whilst gazing outside the window. It pairs the natural with unnatural - something we hear in the EP; furthermore it conjures up old video game nostalgia through the artwork (by Mirjam Schmid),, much like Tiello has felt like he's been living in a simulation since the beginning of yesteryear. The connection seems rightly so, given what we hear over the three tracks.
‘Crabtree’ is as much about teleporting us to another universe, as it is about easing us in gently. Spacious and floaty, this is a lofty atmosphere which conjures complete calm and fortifies a smooth sensation running up, down and around. Sonic pulsations paired with a sizable drum pad slapping on the bassline fly us to Tiello's world of Crabtree - one which seems like ‘90s Gameboy nostalgia -, where souped-up chirps walk in tune with glitchy kicks that splash outwards at the end like a temperamental chain to let us know of what's to come - an EP which goes against the grain. Yet, it's the melodic touch, which wazes in, which completely sends our ears into a new level. Piano chords, as soft as cotton and flowing smooth like a relaxed tide, add a new depth to the track for an innovation of its own accord. Over-pitched twinkles, sharp and assertive as a crab's pinch, run up and down the synthesizer - confirming to us what we kind of knew from the start: that 'Crabtree' conforms to that old saying of 'what you see is what you get'. The album artwork fuses the nature and vibrancy of Tiello's home - Buenos Aires - paired with the man-made elements used to create the release. Again, like its soundscape, it much resembles a retro game cover with its over-comical illusions. Within its final winning streak, hollow drum pads pursue as the underlying heartbeat to keep our pulses steady in the game and shuddering claps breeze gently through the air. As rolling zinks play themselves downwards and roll into the oblivion, the melody gently pushes onto the end until it plays itself off like the sun setting on the final seconds.
Don't be surprised to learn Tiello's favourite artists are the likes of Rampa, DJ Koze and Toto Chiavetta. At least until you've heard 'If I Knew Then'. This second serving brings to life what you'd imagine the output to be if these artists all produced together. It's totally reminiscent of the enchanting beauty of Keinemusik's 'Muyè', yet with the rugged weirdness of practically all of Toto's productions, mixed into one delicious concoction; and yet, it's a unique wildcard of its own accord, which delivers to stand out from the crowd.
'If I Knew Then' is a bold and ambiguous entry - even right from the start. A fierce, no holds-barred bassline launches us into fighting territory and is mashed with bells which bronze themselves silly. Pass over less than 20 seconds and we begin to hear the deliciously bizarre elements: whooshing axes, techno transmissions and echoing pindrops - the latter finding themselves in several corners over a short period. A flatline creak drops from one corner, slowly working itself to the opposite end, and by the time it's finished, the soulful melody starts. Light-as-a-butterfly piano touches flutter over the higher-pitched spectrum to add a vision of beauty, contrasting the man-made sounds already present and adding a deeper layer to its skeleton. Playing onwards and adding speed to the high-sounding bleeps and whirls creates intensity and urgency: we're now coming to the peak of the track, and really there's no way you won't be moving your body at this exact moment in time. A short drop in speed for a gasp of air, and as it picks itself up again, letting augmented guitar riffs cleverly replace the initial melody to step up the intensity game. More micro-elements to fill the quietness of the breakdown-void; building itself up once again with a similar lofty atmosphere we became acquainted with in 'Crabtree'. A thumping flat heartbeat takes us to the final run, paired with raw hi-hats which rattle and crash erratically against its four walls. Much like a familiar face, our initial piano chords enter the equation once more as the driving seat to the end, whilst the deep bass undertones and repeated elements move backwards to leave us in a rather glorious headspace.
As we land into the final offering of the EP, Tiello immediately struts his new-found confidence gained through the previous two tracks. By now it's clear he’s a fan of deep drum pads, yet these are more assertive and crushing than we've heard before. Vibrating bells and percussion taps simmer and swirl to a natural flow to gently tease built-up, energetic energy. A breeze of happy chords caught in a light-headed illusion play with us for tropical matrimony - and again there's an outriding feeling like we're walking down the pathway of a simulation: much a running theme throughout the release. A sequence of soft melodies absorb into the woodworks of the DNA, the delicate tone cements the progression. Like top class teamwork, the natural sounds are never left too lonely from the computer creations - and here again we're treated to an algorithm of binary code sounds and electric pulsations, which push themselves onwards and the bassline tumbles and falls down to complete the breakdown. Now in the full throes of its climatised ambience, tiny hi-hats and ticks lead forwards to widen and creak themselves until the final quarter Within the last minute and a half, the theatrics become more aloof, the binary code unfurls to a high feeling and soothes us into a sensation of sweet harmony.
'Crabtree' is a superb offering of workmanship - showing that when you can pair two opposing corners together well, it works better than you could ever imagine. Over the three tracks there’s a concentrated approach to pairing the natural world we were born in with the man-made world we’ve created to this day. Tiello perfectly creates balance with this yin-and-yang - always keeping us on our toes when one element is leading ahead by letting other elements pull themself back into the race. And this is what makes it such a successful EP - it brings in many a variety of elements which hit an abundance of sweet notes for all, striking a unique and totally memorable take on the melodic genre. No wonder it found home with Aera’s new house.
For what’s next for Tiello? We’re very excited to hear.
REVIEW BY JOANNE PHILPOTT
‘Crabtree’ was released on Applied Magic on 2nd July 2021