NATE08 Mixes Pop-R&B Emotionality With House Grooves On Sophomore Album 'TWENTY SEVEN'

3 years after his debut album 'Furaha', Mumbai's Nathan Thomas aka NATE08 returns with a second album entitled 'TWENTY SEVEN'.

The release combines two different facets of NATE08. There is NATE08 the DJ who underpins all 10 tracks with four-to-the-floor drums and percussion assemblies of house music. Then there is the R&B artist who fills the spaces with soft electric piano chords and emotional vocal treatment – even when working with vocal samples like the closer 'Stay'.

The tight adherence to this combination does mean that the tracks start to blur together during a non-discerning listen, but to allay that, NATE08 continues to take help from a strong array of collaborators: from Mary Ann and Dappest to Mallika Barot and L.A.'s Benni Ola. The varied songwriting helps bring a bit more dynamic to the record, as none of the songs seem to have been written for the dancefloor – functional on their own for private musical catharsis. They are rather pulled in from their myriad of directions to fit the club with NATE08's experienced, supportive artistry.

The first single and opener, 'You're The Reason', offers melodic runs with part heartbreak and part defiance to show a mirror to an ex-lover, while 'Call Me Back' later on reflects the desperation within a grey romance through energetic short hooks. Both are punctuated by the only song that seems to be crafted with the purpose of accompanying a house beat, as singer Dishaan sings the titular refrain of "Where are you tonight?".

The 3 opening tracks offer the most distinction alongside 'What Was It', a headstrong and intense club-hitter with UK's Jamal Bucanon's spoken word performance adding to the atmosphere. Beyond them, the softness of NATE08's R&B textures and treatments over the house grooves hold the album into a soft space between deep house and lounge. 'TWENTY SEVEN' is for bringing energy to emotional moments or for creating an outlier emotional detour on the dancefloor.

Listen to the album below and follow NATE08 for more.

Image by Sahil Kotwani