This is Tusks' first official EP, and although she's probably a new name for most of you readers out there, this project has been a long time coming. The London-based artist (who formerly released music under her given name, Emily Underhill) has been working on this for a minute now, and despite some very strong singles leading up to the release, the material in the actual EP finally gives us a true taste of the immense amount of talent she has at her disposal. You can sense that a lot of time and skill was poured into this one, and the refined quality in each song is unmistakable to even the most untrained of ears. "Burn" is the lead-off track on the four-song project, and while the last song, "Dreamcatcher", is just as impressive, it's been out for a while, so "Burn" is probably the single that'll be grabbing the most headlines. It opens up with some piano chords that let you know you're in for something quite exceptional, and when all the other layers come in to join the fun, "Burn" turns into a huge track with quality to spare. We try not to use the term "ethereal" here too much, as it often gets overused when describing atmospheric music, but in this case, Emily has really captured something special, and that particular adjective is definitely appropriate in this instance. Each section blends perfectly into the next, and she's crafted the final with such style that the song feels more like it's melting away than simply ending. The next two tracks on the list are "Ink" (the EP's namesake) and "Answers". Both are worthy additions to the lineup, and both employ very different composition styles, thus ensuring the entire project never gets stale or one-dimensional. "Ink" is very beat-centric, and uses a lot of funky textures that give the song a unique vibe which works surprisingly well with her rather soft voice. Props to Tusks for thinking outside of the box on it, and not bending to fears that an overly poppy bent is what it's going to take to get noticed. She's doing her own thing (and doing it very well, might we add), and that's going to pay dividends for her down the line. The next song, "Answers" switches things up again with a guitar melody that floats its way through the track's background amidst distant drum hits. Sonically, the song is the softest of the four, but the production work gives the track a lot of open space to work with, and it's a great example of how powerful a song can be despite the fact that there's only a few moving parts in play. Last up is "Dreamcatcher" and a couple remixes of her other tracks by Bodhi Glitch and Koda, respectively. "Dreamcatcher" already made some waves a couple months ago, but that doesn't detract from its quality, and if you've never heard it yet, it's definitely not one to skip over. It's still very much in line with the artistic vision that she had for the first three tracks, but that being said, it does hit a bit harder with a very distinct format. Tusks' falsetto notes mixes in with the low bassline to make the track pop, and it's a worthy addition to any slow-jam playlist in addition to being a fantastic finale to the EP as a whole.
TUSKS