Water, Clay, and Ceramic. If the sonic possibilities of these three textures are the question, then Comf’s triptych of EPs, The Texture Tapes, are the proposed hypothesis.
While I can’t speak of the results of the experiment as a whole, part one of part one, the lead single Do You, is an exercise in the weaving together of contrasts.
It’s a breakup song, set to a sexy-time slow jam. It’s high-concept, yet the audio equivalent of the Tumblr aesthetic. It has Comf’s signature James Blake-esque baritone, against Ilena’s ethereal falsetto. The samples are simultaneously smooth, and abrasive. Just like water in different conditions, I suppose.
The presentation is a bit too modern, fashionable, and ephemeral for a nihilistic dad-rocker such as me. It’s not my genre. That’s not to say it won’t be a hit with the vaporwave generation. This is the sound of the mainstream, but I haven’t bathed in those waters for a decade at least. I’m not the target audience, and that’s ok. Not everything has to cater to my tastes. It’s a hard lesson to learn in our egocentric culture sometimes.
Despite feeling aged-out of the loop and irrelevant, I gave it my attention. I watched the RadioActive live set and saw the passion and enthusiasm that goes into performing the songs. I read the poetry of the lyrics, played with the companion website, and listened to the care put into crafting the work. I might not fully get it, but I can still appreciate it.
5 of 5 stars.
You can find Do You on the Comf Bandcamp.
Comf is the solo project of sonic artist and electronic music lover Jazz Kane. With an appreciation and fascination for a diversity of genre, Comf connects their own personal experiences with manipulated samples of anything and everything, to tell a story that is a constant state of re-evaluation.