Fifi Rong – ‘Violently Silently’ [Review]
If you’re a sucker for finely crafted trip-hop-flavoured tunes, London-based Tricky collaborator Fifi Rong will make your ears prick up.
Violently Silently‘s Intro is guaranteed to lull you into spy-movie-themed daydreams, all grittily seductive beats and slowly swirling samples – but before you assume you’ve heard it all before, Once proves a right-angled tangent. Fifi Rong refuses to be easily pigeonholed, leaning hard on her experimental inclinations and digging out odd alt-pop hooks that feel awkward and alien on first listen, but slowly work their way into the mind. Beachhead established, Slow Poison bounces with regimented playfulness before Since When brings to mind James Bond intro credits, full of classic silhouettes and smoothly flowing CGI sequences, as this EP’s stellar highlight glides by with graceful poise and elegant classiness.
Since When is absolutely spectacular – and as Violently Silently‘s Outro sets a fuzzy synthetic course through dirty glitches and hallucinatory soundscapes, make a mental note to skip back to that fourth track and get your player’s “Repeat” function functioning. Once you’ve heard Since When, you won’t forget.
TMMP RATING: 88%
Violently Silently drops December 4.
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