The Last Mixed Tape reviews Sentinel, the brand new studio album from Jape.
In the wider context of a career, it is often interesting to see how new albums sit within the milieu of an artists over-arching work. Some records can stand out boldly, monuments to a grand statement expressed, while other are more subdued and understated, marking a moment of repose within a wider canvas. Jape’s Sentinel is one such record.
An album where the texture and the meaning have merged into one, Sentinel moves with a slow-burn as Jape weaves the experimental aspects of his sound around an indie-folk core, resulting in a record contains a great depth of field throughout.
Whether it be the gradual pulse of ‘We Thew A Dead Thing Overboard’ or the distant buzzing backdrop of ‘The Sea Shade’, the production of Sentinel engulfs the music in a wash of soundscapes that ebb and flow with the dreamlike abstraction of the songwriting. This melding of background and foreground maintains the personal heart of the album, as everything feels intimate but distant enough to feel personal to Jape himself.
As we move through Sentinel the record undulates dynamically. As the forward motion of ‘Willing To Fail’ is contrasted by the ambient sound collage of ‘I Want To Get Right’. These moments play into the overall feeling of tidal movement within Sentinel as moods and textures come in waves throughout.
Sentinel is a deep and delicate record. From its dreamlike form to the ever changing soundscape that lies beneath, Jape latest album feel every bit like the seas and the oceans he evokes in his songwriting, calm at one moment but always with the potential to rise and crash in intensity, while also awash with texture and detail.
At the beginning of this review I noted how Sentinel feels like a moment of repose within Jape’s career. If This Chemical Sea was the rough and wild waters of stylism, then Sentinel is the calm after the storm where things feel still in contrast. In this way, Sentinel fits neatly within Jape body of work to date.
The Last Mixed Tape reviews Sentinel, the brand new studio album from Jape.
In the wider context of a career, it is often interesting to see how new albums sit within the milieu of an artists over-arching work. Some records can stand out boldly, monuments to a grand statement expressed, while other are more subdued and understated, marking a moment of repose within a wider canvas. Jape’s Sentinel is one such record.
An album where the texture and the meaning have merged into one, Sentinel moves with a slow-burn as Jape weaves the experimental aspects of his sound around an indie-folk core, resulting in a record contains a great depth of field throughout.
Whether it be the gradual pulse of ‘We Thew A Dead Thing Overboard’ or the distant buzzing backdrop of ‘The Sea Shade’, the production of Sentinel engulfs the music in a wash of soundscapes that ebb and flow with the dreamlike abstraction of the songwriting. This melding of background and foreground maintains the personal heart of the album, as everything feels intimate but distant enough to feel personal to Jape himself.
As we move through Sentinel the record undulates dynamically. As the forward motion of ‘Willing To Fail’ is contrasted by the ambient sound collage of ‘I Want To Get Right’. These moments play into the overall feeling of tidal movement within Sentinel as moods and textures come in waves throughout.
Sentinel is a deep and delicate record. From its dreamlike form to the ever changing soundscape that lies beneath, Jape latest album feel every bit like the seas and the oceans he evokes in his songwriting, calm at one moment but always with the potential to rise and crash in intensity, while also awash with texture and detail.
At the beginning of this review I noted how Sentinel feels like a moment of repose within Jape’s career. If This Chemical Sea was the rough and wild waters of stylism, then Sentinel is the calm after the storm where things feel still in contrast. In this way, Sentinel fits neatly within Jape body of work to date.
Rating: 8/10
Sentinel by Jape is out now.
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