ALBUM SPOTLIGHT: Giraffage - "No Reason" EP

Charlie Yin of Giraffage is back once again with more lush, textured soundscapes. In a world that’s becoming increasingly hostile toward sampling, he’s opted to change up his style somewhat, from heavily sample-based production to a style that leans more on originally composed material.

As a result, his first release under Fool’s Gold sounds more mature and established. Sure it’s missing the playfully manipulated infusions of nostalgia that older, sample-laden material had, but its shed that old skin to emerge as something new. He’s kept the playfulness on certain tracks, like the brilliant pitch-shifted “Be With You”, a track that sounds like vintage Giraffage, long before he had achieved any sort of success.

Despite the abundance of good vibes, its an EP that’s not groundbreaking by any stretch of the imagination. It lacks complexity and depth at some points, as you would expect from a fledgling artist who’s stretching his wings in new territory, but overall, No Reason is a step in the right direction. It shows signs of musical maturation without losing the essence of what gave Giraffage his sound, and in the end that’s all you can ask for from an artist.