Melbourne duo Kllo have created something special here. Not a weak track in the bunch, it’s incredibly difficult to put this album on and listen to it start to finish without getting lost in it. Don’t try and listen to it at work, you won’t get anything done.
Backwater was written when Kllo were away from home, feeling isolated and alone on an expansive world tour. That emotion comes through in spades, and it’s no surprise that this record can make you forget about everything around you. While some albums try their best to be as punchy and loud as possible, Backwater is content to do its thing in a more atmospheric way – filling the space only when it needs to do so, and not inserting sound just for the sake of it.
Lead single ‘Virtue’ is very reminiscent of The xx, with all parts of the song working in perfect harmony to create highs and lows, builds and lulls. It really is a joy to feel. ‘Dissolve’is another highlight, bringing a more dancey edge to the album and mixing things up. The track spends a lot of time building a steady crescendo, and is a testament to the talent on show throughout the entire album. With mixes of upbeat electronic and mellower beats, the album as a whole has its own crescendos which flow into the more downbeat sections. This makes listening to Backwater as a whole journey essential. Picking and choosing songs to listen to is just not the same.
Listening to Backwater is an entire experience. Some parts will relax you, some will get you dancing, some will make you happy, some will make you sad. When you get to the end, the entire album will make you glad that you listened to it.
It’s amazing in itself that this album is a debut, and it’s something to be proud of that the album came straight out of the rising Melbourne electronic scene. Kllo clearly have a lot of great things to come. If they can manage to match this effort with their next releases, the sky’s the limit. If they can somehow exceed it, the world better watch out.
9/10
