‘Snake Ballet’ is the second studio EP and 4th release from London-based solo artist Oliver Han. It’s pitched as ‘dark pop with an ambient lingering’, and as a piece of work, the EP is ‘designed intentionally, but not exclusively for vinyl, nevertheless to be played as the artist intended. From start to finish’.
Sultry rhythms and sparse, piano-led arrangements provide the backdrop to Han’s soulful vocals. But while there’s stylistic and sonic cohesion and unity here, there’s also variety and range. Gently picked guitars echo out over a grainy beat on the title track, forging an air of melancholy, while he rocks it up on the more guitar-driven ‘Sway’. Structurally, the compositions have a uniquely organic feel, with the emphasis more on atmosphere than hooks. It’s an approach which, in Han’s hands, proves effective, and, at times, affecting.
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