Live Review: Get 'Closer' to summer with Klue's latest cut
Expanding his already rich sound with the Mbira, 'Closer' sees Klue combining Afrobeat and electronica in a way that truly shines.
Sydney producer and instrument powerhouse KLUE is back at it again with 'Closer' - a thumb-piano driven bop that serves as a perfect counterpoint to the pounding 'Lifted' released earlier in the year.
Described by Klue as the first of many tracks featuring the Mbira (a Southern African thumb-piano), 'Closer' is a perfect pairing of exotic instrumentation with western dance music. Starting with a twinkling Mbira melody, jittery percussion and modulated synths filter in amongst deep and bold vocals and some seriously groovy live percussion. It's one of those tracks that add more and more layers without getting cluttered. Better yet, 'Closer' is a further triumph with how it sounds so natural and live despite the electronic elements. When an artist can sound like a live act when recording and performing entirely by himself, you know you've got something special on your hands.
Klue admits that the track was written "from a pretty sad place; I started writing to get myself out of that place." With passages like, "The bonds I subject myself to / to get me closer to you," the lyrics evoke solipsistic struggle, while the bouncing instrumental sounds like the end of a rough time when everything seems to shine a little brighter. Combining Afrobeat with electronica and sadness with brightness, 'Closer' is a triumph of Australian artistry and Klue's prowess, and a perfect track for the summer months.
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WORDS BY MAX LEWIS
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