Ex Nihilo, the debut album from Canadian-born, Sydney-based Guerre (aka Lavurn Lee), is an electronic journey that was recorded over the course of a year in Lee’s basement. With production help from Marcus Whale, the sounds on this album are quite atmospheric and at times ambient. In Latin, Ex Nihilo means ‘Out of Nothing’ and describes the journey that Lee has been on to create this stunning set of electro vibes. A varied palette of all things electro, if you like Chet Faker’s electronic samples and stylings, chances are you will dig what Guerre is doing.
The beat structures that ring out through all of these tracks are quite addictive and suck you in like a brilliant novel. ‘Deatheat’ is the lead single off this album and features electronic, somewhat African drum beats to it. Eerie synth lines are also present in a track that Lee feels is very emotional, and you can hear that through the arrangement of the instrumentation. Both stunning and lush, the vocal samples throughout this album add a different flavour to the tracks.
My favourite is definitely ‘Croon’, and I have no hesitation in recommending this album to my friends. Local electronica that is definitely able to put a smile on your face and forget about the cold winter months.
Written by Tex Miller