Jack Garratt has been turning up the heat since his "Worry" single came out some time ago, but this Synesthesiac EP is his most abstract piece yet. Initially, it's hard to see exactly what Jack's aiming for, but once you strip away all expectations prior to hitting play, the veil of ambiguity is lifted and you're greeted with a beautiful and extremely creative sound. In actuality, the EP is comprised of fours songs, but if you're inclined to nitpick, then it's really just two singles with an intro and an outro wrapped around the edges. That's not to say we're complaining, but it should be noted that you'll probably get the most out of this EP if you buck up and listen to the whole thing from start to finish. Every track's ending melts into the next song's intro with grace and ease, and while we're quite fond of each song on its own merit, it's only when you step back and see the bigger picture that Jack really comes into his own. "Synesthesia Pt. 1" starts things off with a more of a whisper than a bang, but it quickly picks up momentum, and the subtleties will have you pouring over it for weeks to come. From there, it's the ever-popular "The Love You're Given" that takes center stage. If you were impressed but perplexed at what Jack was aiming for with this song when you originally heard it, it will make so much more sense when you hear it within the context of the EP. After "The Love You're Given" trails away with it's eerie vocal sampling and sharp piano playing, "Chemical" takes things even further left with a hard-hitting chorus and a cyborg-esque arsenal of sounds that will jolt you into a much higher gear before it brings you back down again in preparation for the last piece of the puzzle, "Lonesome Valley". "Lonesome Valley"starts with a very slow build like "The Love You're Given" did, but this time, again, there's very little pretense about what exactly the song is. It's not for radio, and it doesn't pander to convention; it's simply a piece of audio art that's best sipped slowly and deliberately. It doesn't have a hook, and there's really no direct precedent for what's going on, but we love it all the same, and we're smitten with how it fits in with the other tracks on the terrific body of work. Synesthesiac won't be released until April 13, but you can pre-order it on iTunes now and get yourself a vinyl copy of it HERE.
Jack Garratt