Justin Phillips aka Crywolf is taking his music in a new direction. You may remember his well received Ghosts EP from a year or so back. It was a huge, epic, expansive collection of dubstep tunes with massive melodies and gargantuan drops juxtaposed against dreamy vocals and electro riffs from one track to the next. The Moon is Falling Down was the clear standout for us on that one, but the whole EP had something for everyone. The title track sounded more like something from an 80s movie soundtrack. It was an interesting, curious mishmash of tunes.
Now, there’s been a shift. The Angels EP opens with a soft folk tune, held together by a sweet vocal from Emalyn. It has something of Ms Mr about it. It’s not an obvious tune to open a dubstep EP. What follows are four vocal-driven pieces of music (he does his own vocals, we might add) that almost hint at a coming of age. They’re complete pieces of music, rather that tunes aimed at the dancefloor or a certain niche market. There are still drops and melodies, but there’s a different atmosphere to them than with the Ghosts EP. It’s not a complete 180 — more like a progression, an evolution. And there’s a cohesion to the whole EP that was lacking with Ghosts.
Of the new direction, Crywolf told Earmilk: “I’d say I made 15-18 tracks before zeroing in on six that became Angels. Angels was much more refined, and much more of the sound I was going for. Angels was made as one unit. Ghost was just five singles I had around.”
It definitely shows. Angels verges into territories beyond dubstep or EDM in general, and we think that’s great. Crywolf offers a fresh take on dubstep, one that is driven by faultless production, crisp beats and thoughtful vocals. There’s a certain power to the music that captivates the listener. We definitely look forward to hearing more tunes like this in the future.
Anyway, enough talking. Time to listen for yourselves. Stream below or buy the EP here.
