Polyphonic Exophilia – “Metamorphosis” Feat. Lil Kyo XR & LofiTravel
Polyphonic Exophilia – “Metamorphosis” Feat. Lil Kyo XR & LofiTravel – Single Review
Among the many reasons that Polyphonic Exophilia, aka the PPXP collective, was nominated to our top ten list of the year in 2021 in our annual quest for the Best New Sound (and ended up winning, incidentally), was certainly the high level of creativity within the spirit of this band and the sheer fact that not a single one amongst us could truly predict where their music will go next. No joke folks – I’d be willing to bet that, even if you asked PPXP directly, they might have an idea…they might have an inkling, or a sketched out concept…but when it comes to the actual journey of making it happen & the many twists & turns of recording from the start to finish pop up, they go where the music takes them. As a result, each time we hear from them, more often than not, it’s something new, something fresh, and something that genuinely sounds inspired. Case in-point, “Metamorphosis” has all that good stuff in it.
It comes out on January 7th! In fact, if you check back on this review at that time, you won’t even see this sentence, you’ll see the song right here.
No surprise when it comes to quality – that’s among the most consistent aspects of the music of PPXP, whether you like or love a tune they create, you can always count on it sounding spectacular through your speakers, I promise ya that. The production on “Metamorphosis” perfectly captures the dreamy vibes they were going for here – LofiTravel definitely knows his way around the studio boards, no doubt about that – he’s got this beat dialed right in to a flawless fluidity. The bass is as outstanding as it has ever been here…which is another one of Polyphonic Exophilia’s main attributes…the guitars are equally stellar…the melodic…hmmm…there’s irresistible keys, there’s passionate saxophone, there are other stunning elements in the mix too – let’s just say that the entire atmosphere ends up containing a whole lot of amazingly expressive instrumentation and leave it at that shall we? The musicianship in this band never disappoints…don’t get me wrong, they can go a bit overboard sometimes and they’re more than proud to do that…they wear it like a badge of honor really – but when it comes to “Metamorphosis,” the vast majority of what you hear colors well within the lines this time around. They make some stellar moves – they always do – but they keep the energy highly subtle & mellowed right out on “Metamorphosis” and make the best decisions surrounding what this song really needed. It’s still a seven minute-long track…fear not, for you will still find the inherent creativity and flexibility you know & love from PPXP to a degree…just arguably more controlled and perhaps a bit more focused on the vision of what this track could be in terms of its uniqueness in their catalog. Because let’s be real here – “Metamorphosis” is yet another brilliant example of how Polyphonic Exophilia is capable of thriving in multiple areas of the music scene – and another solid departure from what we do know in their music, that shifts it into another enticing direction we can all quickly get behind. Nothing so dramatic that you wouldn’t still hear the PPXP IN PPXP, you feel me? They make these differences known through the mellowness in this whole vibe, and in a sense, playing it more straight-ahead than the band tends to do, without seeming to sacrifice any of the imagination and incredible ideas they’ve been cranking out throughout the music they’ve released in their debut year. With the addition of Lil Kyo XR in the mix, you pretty much find this collaboration drifting right into a combination of R&B and Soul; I really like what he brings to this song a lot, but I also really liked the fact that the vocals were used somewhat sparingly in the total length of this tune…the music speaks just as strongly as words ever could, despite how friendly & mellow it may appear. As a result, you’ll find an impeccable balance all around when Lil Kyo XR makes his appearance; the whole collaboration slides smoothly right through your speakers with an enchanting charm & continuously welcoming atmosphere.
With the presence of their Cosmic Funk tendencies still noticeable in the mix, PPXP reveals the lighter side of their sound, and how extremely effective that can be. I’ve sat here all week with this track, letting it spin on repeat…letting it mesmerize & work its magic on me…it’s just one of those beautifully hypnotic experiences with the right hint of melancholy that you never really want to end…and thankfully, it never really has to, does it? I’m positive tracks like this one here are what the repeat button were made for. ”Metamorphosis” is a stellar collaboration from beginning to end that has everyone beaming with melody & professionalism.
Find out more about Polyphonic Exophilia at their official pages below!
Homepage: https://ppxp.no
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ppxpinsta
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PpxpTweet
Bandcamp: https://polyphonicexophilia.bandcamp.com
Magical Multi-link: https://linktr.ee/ppxp
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