In the past year Pusher has risen from one of the many up-and-coming producer/DJs in Toronto to the one who’s next up. After grinding on SoundCloud and showing his diversity and ability to produce across genres, he took some time off to develop his sound and truly find his direction. With New Laces Pusher realizes his potential and directs his talents into something that is cohesive, expertly produced and truly his own. The sound is a synthesis of everything he’s explored from shiny future bass, to trap and mid-tempo and his classical and jazz piano backgrounds.
‘Start Up’ is a brief intro that pulls together a smattering of pop culture samples and computer sounds that includes everything from Pinky and Brain to Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Tales From The Cryptkeeper, before ending with a dial-up tone. It’s an intro that has you feeling nostalgic before the music even starts. As the dial tone drifts into ‘Clear’ things truly get underway. Featuring gripping vocals from Mothica, it’s the standout smash that balances a summer-inspired feel with a fresh future bass sound. ‘Fences’ keeps the momentum going with Cappa’s vocals creating a cute, almost naively nice texture. As the vocals are bent, the bottom drops out into a powerful bass-heavy sound with sci-fi influence. Pulling from Pusher’s jazz background comes the irresistible hit ‘Tell You’. Hunnah dances around the twinkling keys creating a feeling of pure ingenuous love. It’s the audio equivalent of summer’s picnic with your first crush. ‘Somehow, Someway’ ventures into a new territory with an indie-electro sound largely thanks to Darren Ashley.That’s not say Pusher doesn’t make it his own with some hefty bass waves. “Shake Down, now shit’s getting shook up,” serves as the perfect description for ‘Shake Down’. It’s a stark contrast to the smooth and alluring sounds before it, but that just makes it even more interesting. With Pusher dubbing it his “personal bad bitch anthem” it’s hard not to love. The project closes with ‘Long Night,’ a strong future-inspired ballad that ties everything together perfectly. New Laces feels like a new chapter for Pusher and I can’t wait to keep reading. Stream it below and grab it on iTunes. For more on the project be sure to check out interview with Pusher below.
