Curtain Blue Drops Contrasting EP 'S.T.R.I.P.E.S'

New Delhi's Abhishek Bhatia aka Curtain Blue has recently released 'S.T.R.I.P.E.S', his first solo long-form after years of only sporadic collaborative works and remixes.

Released via Export Quality Records, the 4-track release is notably contrasting in its two halves. While showcasing the finesse of an experienced artist, the openers 'Right Into You' and 'Is It What You Want' opt for synth-based hockets of bouncy melodies alongside vocals that are punctuated by hooks made up of their own samples – tropes that have been used enough in a similar fashion within the styles of future bass and trap that they have become passé at this point for avid listeners. For anyone able to look beyond it, the two tracks do offer impressive energy, especially in conjunction with filmmaker Lendrick Kumar and Madhavan Krishnesh's 3D photogrammetry-based video for 'Right Into You'.

The true musical delight of the EP, however, comes in the second half as Curtain Blue makes a surprising stylistic shift towards the languid bed of falsetto vocals and reverberating piano of 'All For You'. He settles the listener into an emotional atmosphere before a break of improvisational jazz transforms it all to give the EP's most sublime moment. The notion that minimal arrangements are better friends for the New Delhi act's songwriting on this EP gets further stamped as he keeps it to organic grooves, warm pads and intermittent horn lines for the final number 'Sunkissed', even while combining the falsetto quality of his vocals from the previous number with the chopped-and-sampled approach of the former two.

Listen to 'S.T.R.I.P.E.S' below and follow Curtain Blue for further information.