EP Review: Sam Akpro - 'Arrive'
Sam Akpro’s latest EP delivers a crushing sound that deconstructs life in the city post-pandemic.
Hailing from Peckham in South London, Sam Akpro’s sound has been catching the eye of many in the capital, including Wu Lu, Shame and 404 Guild. Performing alongside these artists has given his pandemic born music a chance to show Sam’s gloriously explosive music to a wider audience. In particular, the opening song ‘Trace’ has garnered significant attention since its release earlier this year in February. Lockdown was a strange time for many, when the world didn’t feel real and was more akin to a dream. In ‘Trace’ Akpro represents these feelings by detailing a distorted vision of his hometown, unfamiliar to the one he grew up in. Sonically, these themes are supported by an awesome bass groove that threads itself throughout the song, but is juxtaposed with seemingly randomised samples of noise, a sign of things to come. This is truly a must-listen track, full of creative but also concise ideas that while certainly psychedelic, aren’t tethered to one specific genre.
It’s certainly hard to explain exactly what type of music Sam Akpro creates; as mentioned, he is essentially genreless, and the EP’s title track ‘Arrival’ is no exception to this. The driving bass opening of the previous tune is back, but this is swiftly followed by a crushing sound reminiscent of the current post-punk bands ruling the current British alternative scene. The vocals increase in intensity and volume alongside the instrumental. While not completely dissimilar to ‘Trace’, the intricate and stylish drum patterns on display there are substituted out for a far more aggressive and chaotic noise. While you could easily dance to ‘Trace’, ‘Arrival’ is clearly meant for headbanging and moshing.
With the first track's uneasiness already having exploded on the second, Akpro has already taken us through various feelings, and the third does not let up the pace. Initially seeming to take a far more sombre direction, after 45 seconds the track explodes into life with an even more devastating array of sound. The drums pounding and the sound effects cacophonous, Sam’s vocals divulge into an intense chant complete with high pitched screams. In ‘Leaving Please’ Akpro generates an anger best comparable to slowthai at his absolute most unhinged points, a massively favourable comparison when looking at who currently receives the most critical acclaim in the British music scene. The Peckham native sounds out with riotous guitar hits followed by disparate white noise, finally giving our ears a rest before the final track.
‘New blocks’ brings together a chimaera of different styles, there is clear jazz influence, but it is rolling alongside the hardcore and post-punk sounds of the previous songs. Perhaps this tune contains the most obvious debt to industrial music thus far, with samples of sirens and other city-scape sounds being littered throughout. The hazy world that was built in the first track and then destroyed in the following waves of noise, appears to be put back into place here, although there is the sense that something still isn’t quite right. This could be a reflection of how things will never be the same in the post-pandemic world, or maybe Akpro has let his confusion boil over into anger that is still simmering. Either way, Sam Akpro certainly takes you on a wild ride in this new EP. ‘Trace’ will invariably suck you in before the latter songs sucker punch you with a wave of strong emotions. To achieve this in a 4 track EP is something special, and makes Akpro a definite artist to look out for in the coming years.
Words by Josh Wilkey
