Ever so often you hit upon a song that sounds so fresh you find it hard to define. The first eight bars of BIYO‘s ‘Focus‘ is literally everything to love about music. A slow jam that turns into a minimalist and sensual dance, with highly inventive percussive stabs and warped drones, brilliant bass synths and slick vocals worthy of Jai Paul, this ever morphing monster just keeps building.
Nashville based duo of Grayson and Sam create a world in where silence and space are the most powerful music tools. The pair continue to create deconstructionist-pop: a distinct bend of traditional pop music where high-end sounds and techniques are purposefully warped and distorted, creating a bounce that’s undeniably theirs and undeniably new.
Despite the ever changing nature of the song, this really is a lesson in restraint. A fascinating blend of energetic minimalism, soft heartbeats and jagged cliff face drops, mixing soul, house, r&b and a myriad of other influences I’m sure. The one thing I am sure of though is that ‘Focus‘ is a perfect example 21st century record.
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