Inkakai’s “Drown (Shadow Version)” is well, breathtaking, stripped of a lot of genres’ trappings but consistently proving their/Weston’s dynamism. Even when it starts with these enigmatic synthesizer melodies, and when we consider the powerful growling, it impressively mesmerizes. The ornamental rhythmic strands enter as the voices of mist and thereafter combine into a cloud layer that is galloped by the march. Those soaring vocal phrases and heartfelt lyrics are spectacular – it’s a perfect example of rebuilding the track from the bottom up and adding each layer with a perfect amount of restraint.
Vocally, Inkakai stands out best when the track swells and recedes like music to a movie trailer. One can easily imagine what could have been nothing more than a cash grab, barebones retread; instead, it is practically a new artistic subspecialty. It is safe to say that each of the ambient swells as well as short bursts of melody brings depth. In doing so, they have ensured that their ambitions and goals are viewed through one of culture’s most prescient spectres; one which resonates both with the head and the heart. That is the magic and weakness of every Inkakai tune – at its most stripped, it is still at its spiritual core, never more, never less.
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