Hilang Child is the musical alias of Brighton-based Ed Riman, whose debut album, Years, attracted praise and support from the likes of 6 Music‘s Lauren Laverne, Q and Mojo among others. Despite the excitement surrounding his prodigious talent, the pressures Riman faced forced a recalibration of motives and mindsets that have served the music well, drawing on a harder edge of influences as well as inviting collaborative creativity to push the boundaries futher.
Upcoming second album, Every Mover (Jan 8th), previewed by singles Good to be Young, Anthropic (Cold Times) and the shape-shifting epic that is Seen the Boreal, is full of escapist sounds that switch from the serenely scenic to commanding, cityscape realism at a canter, with words to match both moods.
Riman spoke to Secret Meeting about some of the artists he feels deserve more attention and have recently released their music into our uncertain pandemic times…
Dewey – Is It Infatuation?
This is a banger and Dewey is a gem, from Rottingdean near Brighton. I love good pop music which is well thought through and this is the epitome of that. It’s from Pt. 1 of her new album, Soller, and to me feels like one of those tracks that plays at 3am in a packed house party when you’re lost in the peaks of euphoria, which both calms and energises you.
Anna is a fellow bird lover so already gains brownie points, and is also an all round incredible artist with an unbelievable voice, there’s so much emotion in her delivery. Her lyrics are conversational but in the most haunting way, they’re honest and sometimes cutting, and just so intimate, I wish I could write like that. Wasn’t sure what to pick as everything she’s released so far from her upcoming album on City Slang has been stunning, so dive into the rest after this. I’ve gone with Corncrakes which grows from a melancholic piece up to a gradual rush of energy, the ending is massive and beautifully arranged and produced.
Dornik is a supremely talented and multifaceted artist who, alongside his own stuff, has also spent time touring as Jessie Ware’s drummer and co-writing with Syd and Odd Future. We went to school together in South London and the school didn’t have music in the curriculum at the time, so we were two of the only musical people in our year. Despite never playing together, I have this enduring memory of us sitting in the school library in year 11 watching Tony Royster Jr drum videos. The next time we properly saw each other was backstage at T4 On The Beach when we were both playing as session drummers for acts on the bill, which felt like a cool ‘look at us now’ moment. His music is so great and so unique, it’s dreamy electronicy R&B with production that sometimes feels like it could be from the soundtrack to a Japanese video game, or an animated series from the 80s. His album Limboland came out this year and is pure quality.
Alex is one of the greatest songwriters and musicians I’ve ever met with an incredible passion for her artistry, she’s been an enormous source of inspiration for me in recent years both musically and otherwise. The songs blend intricately crafted melodies and arrangements with beautifully weaved poetry and amazing musicianship, plus her voice is out of this world; it can be soulful and full of power one minute, then haunting and delicate the next. It’s the sort of thing that hits your heart to the core. My Body Is A Spacesuit is from AK Patterson’s upcoming EP produced by Charlie Andrew and is the most danceable song in 7/8 time signature you’ll hear today.
Fran a.k.a. Ajimal had the misfortune of releasing one of the best albums of the year right as the first lockdown hit, so was right up against it. But thankfully the beauty of this album shone through and he seems to have still been getting the plaudits this album so rightly deserves. I love the closeness of his voice throughout the album and the blend of dreamy electronica with vast orchestral soundscapes, it’s done so perfectly. How Could You Disappear is musically one of the more upbeat songs on the album but make sure to check out the whole record to get the full picture of his stunning sound.
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