Review

SOHN

Trust

4AD • 2022

A lot and nothing has changed in SOHN’s sound on »Trust«.  A lot, because the Brit Christopher Michael Taylor suddenly realised  that he needs to work with other musicians, otherwise this whole thing will never work.  And nothing, because the thirteen songs once again sound like the way extroverted people imagine introverted music.  The basis remains R&B, pop and downtempo, but never as fleeting as in the field of tension created by similar sounds by other artists.  Accordingly, »I Won’t« delivers a piano ballad with a slightly more intrusive rhythm than necessary, »Antigravity« sounds exactly like a song by SOHN – including exuberant synth pads for an all-round feel-good feeling at the end.  A lot more is going on on »Segre«, on the other hand; you can hear the community, the interaction with other creative people.  SOHN let it be known in advance that this was his least pretentious record.  Because he wasn’t trying to be an artist, he just accepted that he is an artist.  A track like »Riverbank« comes across as almost classic, but clearly conveys this understanding.  The guitar warms, the rhythm bobs along.  And yet, a lot is happening under the surface. »Trust« is not a simple record because its details are more multilayered, more intricate, more dreamy than anything SOHN has released so far.  Which makes for great music still. That hasn’t changed on his third record.