Live Review: EBONY makes magic once again with 'Sleep'

When EBONY dropped her debut 'Skin & Bones' last year, it was clear she had created a lane that was completely hers. Her remarkable ability to give us production that is so complex yet so crisp and clear is a tightrope she balances with ease, and her sultry vocal delivery washes it all in a serenity that's hard to find in the cluttered realms of both electronic and pop music. But, with her the second hit of her one-two punch, 'Sleep', EBONY has proven that she's not only in her own lane, she's going full speed ahead.

The stalking production wastes no time creeping inside you as soon as you press play. Chimes ring in the distance making the track infinitely more ominous, and that's all before EBONY's voice has even floated in. The restraint and control she shows in her breathy vocals makes for the perfect balancing act between voice and production. She never lets her voice dominate the trickling melody, and the melody never drowns out her voice.

What's more is that the song doesn't stop building. It's like a nightmare, except you don't want to wake up from it. With each turn you make, each new line you hear, there's another element inserted into the track. The last minute or so is directly contrasted with the minimalism we heard in the beginning. It's that exhilarating, breathless sprint you make in the seconds before you wake up in a sweat, but this time you'll want to fall right back to sleep.

EBONY and 'Sleep' is cemented proof that she is, to put it quite simply, not to be slept on. It's the way she elegantly floats through meticulous production and sensual vocal delivery that makes her so dreamy, but it's the way she explosively brings it all together that'll remind you that is no dream. Don't fall asleep - if you do, you just might miss whatever big move EBONY will make next.

Words by JACKSON LANGFORD

Image: Supplied

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