Interplay is hardly more essential in any other genre than it is in hip-hop and jazz. On their debut EP Can We Go Back, Swedish collective Pink Butter, who self-describe as “your new favorite boy band”, cultivate a hybrid of the two styles – without falling into the trap of acid jazz clichés or relying too heavily on DAWs. Instead, what hovers over the EP’s six tracks is the spirit of an unpretentious jam session among passionate musicians – and the ghost of the immortal James Yancey – shining like the Midsommar sun.
The band calls it a homage to improvisation – a deliberate counterpoint to the algorithmically arranged, AI-generated content already flooding digital platforms. Nature is healing could be the subheading. Their already well-grooved get-together is complemented by guests like rap legend T3 (Slum Village) and local artists like Joannè Nugas, lending the familial atmosphere an earthy melancholy on »Alright«, sludgy ’90s echoes on »U«, or soul-tinged pop flourishes on »Lost My Mind«.
Some might argue Can We Go Back is too understated in today’s fast-paced, social media-driven landscape. One might even say it only hints at a glitch in the Matrix – polished, perhaps even too polished. And sure, one could argue the answer to its title question is “unfortunately not.” But across these 20 minutes, the quartet from Stockholm focuses on a principle often forgotten these days – namely: freedom.
