Category: EP – 5 tracks, runtime – 14 min
Genre: Dance
Release Date: 21.March.2025
Rating: ★★★★★★★★☆☆ – 7.9/10
Fun ride, this was* We’ll go about it in a cluster format just because of some specific subgenre-related considerations. Here goes:
This is a support roster-driven joint, which is why we’ll start with the only exception, “space jam”, which naturally stands out for having our main man go at it solo. Incidentally, it also ends up being our fav on the project. For one, it’s buoyed by the most forceful beats of the bunch, which is a welcome aggression in a chill sea of vibes. It also houses a very warm human moment towards the end, that’s rather meta in so far as the conversational recorded snippet acknowledges the artist’s own knowledge of his upward trajectory.
As for the features, our fav of the support roster, from a sonic point of view, just had to be Zowie Kengocha on “top”. There’s a comforting laze about her vocal delivery that lets you know she has her magic nailed already by her very presence on the number. It’s all elevated by squeaky melodic synth sprinklings, which are admittedly present all over the project, though especially suited for that particular moment. On the conceptual end of things though, it’s Zaituni Wambui who nails it with the feature on “not the one”. The tune houses the most mature and layered expressions of sensuality & love of all the tracks that precede or follow. More impressively, it does so while still nailing the sound; jolty, bouncy, clappy beats being the most prominent of its highlights.
The closer is Estellesque à la American boy. It’s aptly placed to cool off the energy without undoing the prior thematic buildup, which is a testament to Afamefuna’s technical and artistic chops.
In a summative sense, this is a commendable effort on many fronts, yet it’s not immune to a few shortfalls; like a pervasive sameness of sound midway and the instinct to gravitate towards conceptual safety. Lowkey expected, I mean, this is a dance joint. Going into it, one’s already kinda foreseeing that happening. Fortunately, the standout tracks are captivatingly unique enough to even out the flaws. We’ll defo keep an eye on our main man for the next part of his journey. For now, thick sauce!
