If you’re from Toronto chances are you’ve at least heard of Hrmxny. He’s a resident at one of the city’s best clubs (The Hoxton), he played Mad Decent Block Party this summer and has opened for some of the biggest acts in electronic music. His breakout year kicked off with the release of his debut EP In Time and he’s closing it out with a follow-up entitled ‘Strange As It Seems’. In many way it’s a representation of the year coming full circle, while also showcasing his evolution within the short time period. Hrmxny’s goal was to create something “real” and it doesn’t get much realer than this. From his Grandmother on the introduction, to the features from friends, the project packs a strong sense of authenticity and rawness while remaining polished. We’ve put together a quick track by track overview and also had the chance to connect with Hrmxny to properly introduce the EP. Check it out below and download it here.
The aforementioned introduction lays the foundation for the entire of the project and smoothly drifts into the title track. ‘Strange As It Seems’ is a blend of dark and hazy ambiance with snapping drums and deep lows. Relatively unknown vocalist tylorj kills it, fusing raps bars with nasel vocal tones that are dripping with swag and hauntingly irresistible. ‘One Way’ sees Preme & taylorj trading verses over a zooted trip-hop back drop reminiscent of DJ Krush. The midpoint ‘Play No Games,’ is pure fun. Pitched and retooled Nate Dogg samples are layered with loungey downtempo bass, while energetic claps boost the energy. With the project winding down ‘Take You Higher’ blends house vibes with club and low key future bass. Though the whole EP impresses it seems good things do come to those who wait, with ‘Nightlife’ proving to be the strongest effort. Jon Vinyl kills the feature while Hrmxny laces a back drop complete with worldly and hypnotizing synths, hard hitting kicks and a minimalistic feel that really lets the vocals shine through. ‘Strange As It Seems’ is powerful, cinematic and cold as a winter’s night in the 6.
Stream the project and check our interview with Hrmxny below.
How would you describe the EP?
I guess I would describe it as real. This was the second round of songs I made after already finishing another full project that I ended up scrapping. These songs were full to me, they made sense in every aspect in the way I wanted people to see my music.
Where did the title come from and what does it represent?
Strange As It Seems came from the eventful year I had & how it was super strange that everything could actually happen so quickly. I never thought I would be doing this two years ago.
What’s the significance of the phone call that opens the EP?
It’s actually my grandma, I woke her up one night when I got the idea and basically told her to just say what she felt would be suitable. Whenever you are super focused on a certain thing, everything else around you gets somewhat left behind, I got very caught up in my own world.
There are vocalists on almost every track. What prompted this? How did you connect with them? What was the writing process like?
Yea, that’s something I will always try to focus on from now on. It’s very important for my music & vision. I try to make “soundcloud” music. Every song has so much more emotion when you put original vocals on it, it tells a better story. Everyone featured are all my friends from Pickering, it’s where I lived pretty much throughout a good part of my older teenage years. Each one of them has had a huge influence on the way I work & act in every aspect of my career, especially Tylor. He’s like my big brother, He’s been by my side since I started, and we’ll always grow together. Each artist pretty much wrote their own verse, I just left it up to them. I wanted everything to be natural.
The project carries a strong theme of change. How have you evolved musically from In Time to now?
I CHANGED….. A LOT. *dj khaled* I hope I evolved, if I haven’t I’m doing something wrong. I’m more confident in the way I make music now, I never used to be able to show people my music, but I guess I’m getting over that now.
What do you want people to take away from this project?
Just listen, listen to everything, especially the lyrics. It’s how all of us express our individual feelings and thoughts that we don’t usually show to people.
For even more Hrmxny check out our previous interview and exclusive guest mix.
