Arlo Enemark has said of his latest project, Watermelon Boy: “I’m always trying to evoke the feeling of a holiday in the tropics.” Success!
The Wow Signal transports us directly to Ibiza; here’s your soundtrack for relaxing poolside and partying at a day/night club (see: Cheap Drinks & Bad Decisions – also a great name for a bar, methinks).
“‘Cause I’m tryna sip pina coladas/ On a beach with all of my brothers…” – Enemark has said No Problems, feat. Ghanaian vocalist Bryan The Mensah – this album’s lead single – best “captures the spirit of the album” and he ain’t wrong.
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Distant, floaty sax cushions Magajie’s commentary on outsider status (“We outside in Australia…”) throughout opener, Outside. Spliced vocal samples form the Memories hook. Cagi Mudre Vou (feat. Bigwilz) – sung in Fijian language – opens with the soothing sound of waves breaking against the shore and also features “lali” (traditional log drum).
For Glistening Sand, samples were recorded at the famous Blue Stone Beach in Flores, Indonesia. Calling Leftfield (Afro-Left, in particular) to mind, Mereba is further elevated by Ghanaian MC Bogo Blay’s multilingual wordplay. Fuzzed-out guitar riffs dominate standout Damn Son (feat. 2FISTD), which is built from an audacious beat with occasional siren sounds.
Break That Board (with Richie Loop & Mark Dwyer) – a jaw-droppingly brill dancehall belter – is “sprinkled with ‘90s fighting game samples”, which speaks to Enemark’s other passions: martial arts and vintage gaming. Then our dancing feet are hijacked by Du Papa’s military drumming and repeated “pa-pa-pa-pa-pa…” vocal percussion, with exotic birdsong samples enlivening the drop.
From influences including dancehall, moombahton (a reggaeton/dancehall/American house hybrid), Afrobeats, amapiano (Google it), techno nous and ample twerking ops – Watermelon Boy serves tropical electronica. The Wow Signal worms its way under the skin.
LABEL: The Melon & Gourd Development Board
RELEASE: 2 AUGUST
