A critical assessment of the merits of a subject, such as art, film, music, television, food and literature. Reviews are based on the writer鈥檚 informed/expert opinion.
Cautious Clay’s dreamy R&B-pop ‘The Hours: Morning’ is an exploration in time
Cautious Clay, the multi-instrumentalist whose dreamy R&B and indie-pop sound has earned him the attention of everyone from Arooj Aftab and John Mayer to Taylor Swift, embraces the passing of time on his latest EP, 鈥淭he Hours: Morning.鈥
Cautious Clay, the multi-instrumentalist whose dreamy R&B and indie-pop sound has earned him the attention of everyone from Arooj Aftab and John Mayer to Taylor Swift, embraces the passing of time on his latest EP, 鈥淭he Hours: Morning.鈥
Across eight tracks each representing an hour from 5 a.m. to 12 p.m., Clay documents the clarity, optimism and sometimes sinking reality of the start of each day through soulful, funk-pop beats.
鈥淭he Hours: Morning鈥 follows Clay’s 2023 biographical album 鈥淜arpeh鈥 (titled after his given name, Joshua Karpeh) and joins a discography that shows his instrumental and vocal prowess. Clay’s moody, breakout track, 2017’s 鈥淐old War,鈥 was interpolated by Swift on 鈥淟ondon Boy鈥 for 鈥 shortly after it featured in a scene in Olivia Wilde鈥檚 coming-of-age His 2021 song 鈥淲ildfire鈥 accumulated tens of millions of streams on its own before being covered by Ros茅 of the mega-popular
ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW
It’s a simple idea, framing songs around eight morning hours, but the structure of 鈥淭he Hours: Morning鈥 allows for complex sonic exploration. Clay tasked himself with producing a distinct sound for each, emulating a specific mentality associated with the hour.
The smooth R&B opener 鈥淭okyo Lift (5 am)鈥 embraces early morning limbo, in his case, the afterglow of late-night karaoke. Unburdened by the realities of the day 鈥 鈥淵ou’re in denial / But I’m not talking ‘bout a river,鈥 Clay sings in a raspy, whispered tone 鈥 the mood is light, the production mellow and synth-heavy. A flute solo adds brightness to the final verse, like a bird鈥檚 call meeting the morning sun.
鈥淭raffic (7 am)鈥 starts with a string of relationship reflections. 鈥淓very morning felt like traffic / Brain full of static,鈥 he begins, eventually arriving at a sensual chorus of overlapping vocals. 鈥淚t鈥檚 like poetry,鈥 Clay sings, 鈥淚 felt the hair on my skin / Raising when you crashed in / To me.鈥 The song is capped by Clay’s crisp saxophone.
Bass guitar adds funk to 鈥淎mber (11 am).鈥 And by 鈥淪moke Break (12 pm),鈥 the EP’s closer, Clay’s voice is more pronounced. The drumbeats behind them, quicker.
Clay isn’t restricted by his hourly Each song is engaging enough to exist outside of its designated time block, free of its parenthetical label. But together, Clay creates a colorful world 鈥 a morning listeners will want to wake up early for.
Camp is a place where unexpected fun leads to unleashed potential.
With your support, The 海角社区官网Star Fresh Air Fund provides opportunities for financially vulnerable children to ignite a lifelong love for adventure at camp. Above all, your kindness makes it happen.
To join the conversation set a first and last name in your user profile.
Sign in or register for free to join the Conversation