Loma

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Throwing Snow's outstanding first two full-lengths, Mosaic and Embers, are both ambitious, painstakingly arranged suites that incorporate live instrumentation, foreboding cinematic textures, and influences ranging from dubstep and trip-hop to psychedelic folk. The London-based producer's singles are generally more dancefloor-minded but no less dramatic or awe-inspiring. Throughout 2018, Throwing Snow periodically released a series of two-track digital singles containing his most beat-heavy, club-tuned work to date. Loma compiles all eight of these tracks, sequencing them in order to flow as an album. The tracks have aggressive rhythms that reference jungle and breakbeat techno more than his garage/dubstep-influenced earlier work did, and which generally contain big build-ups and steady progressions as well as unpredictable developments. "Simmer" has a monstrous bassline and complex, crunchy Amen breaks that gradually become more agitated; "Tantrum" is similar but more industrial-tinged. "Myriad" has more straightforward beats but a brighter, more suspenseful melody. With its exotic-sounding percussion and footwork-esque tempo, "Vulpine" nearly resembles a club edit of a Jlin track. The Livity Sound-esque "Minotaurs" begins with measured thumps and bubbling bass, later switching up and gaining soft, slowly expanding melodies. "V" is perhaps the most melodramatic moment, with fearsome yet dazzling synth arpeggios and an unexpected shift from an evenly paced thump to dramatically broken rhythms with esoteric time changes. The release concludes with a steady, shadow-dwelling 11-minute remix of "Simmer," courtesy of Octo Octa. As excellent as Throwing Snow's previous albums are, the sheer immediacy of Loma might make it his most enjoyable work.
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