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Live Review: Anatole grows with the stunning 'Only One' featuring Ida

21 February 2018 | 9:10 am | Kyle Fensom

Anatole grows naturally by delivering his most pop-centric work yet with 'Only One' ahead of the release of his debut full-length

ANATOLE’S music is preoccupied with the idea of mirroring the ecosystems and organic patterns of his native Blue Mountains. On the lush and stunning ‘Only One’, the producer and multi-instrumentalist applies his classical inclinations to his most pop-centric track to date, offering a glimpse into the direction of his incoming debut album, Emulsion.

“This was the first track written for the album and ended up serving as a catalyst for new ideas and sounds for the rest of the record”, Anatole says of the track’s inception. “This is my version of a maximalist pop song – or rather what I want out of a pop song, catchy hooks and honest emotion. To me, both the lyrics and music serve a dual purpose – the bright and shiny exteriors which are apparent on first listen make way for many other ideas and feelings after multiples listens”.

The intricate composition builds itself around layered percussion, twinkling chimes, some swooning string embellishments and tender touches of piano, recalling the complex electronica of artists such as Four Tet or Bonobo. Much of Anatole’s production only unfurls upon repeated listens, when the meticulous percussion untangles itself and the subdued bass and warped synths that carry the track to its emotionally resonant climax can be heard lying dormant.

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Far from feeling dense and impervious, however, Anatole imbues the maximalism of his composition with an impressive weightlessness. It’s this weightlessness that also allows Anatole, in adopting a conventional pop structure, to make way from the emotive, aching vocal performance of Ida, whose voice brings a human embodiment to the sentient naturality that resides within his production. It’s both a sign of his evolving maturity as an artist, representing something of a transition from producer to songwriter, and indicates why now is the right time for Anatole to unveil his growing artistry in the form of a debut full-length.

IMAGE: Supplied

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