After last year’s debut EP, ‘Kingdom Of You & Me’, we were curious and eager to see the next music-laden path he would venture down. Suiting the name of the EP perfectly, his new sophomore EP, ‘Dark Enough To See,’ feels more raw. It is a darker indie soundscape just spilling out of the project.
The first track, ‘In Twilight’, opens up with reverbed guitar and provides an immense space of atmosphere. It creates a sense of great depth. The sheer songwriting prowess reflects this depth. “And I’ll fight that fear till my love runs dry/ and I'll run that race till I touch the sky.” Soon after this line, we’re catapulted into something otherworldly. The sheer motivation, powered by the drums, almost feels like running at a blistering speed. The song bursts with vigor and passion, making for a great opening track to the EP. Providing a window into what the rest of this project could bring, we’re soon made aware that at the heart of all this is an empathetic writer. Felix tries to make sense of the human experience.
As we progress through the EP, the tone takes a more menacing stance. In ‘Cold With Desire' this feeling is carried by the eerie timbre of Felix’s voice and the heavy bass. The bass adds a punch to the sullen lyrics. “You’re cold with desire, you’re cold like a fire / your flames take me higher.” It paints a picture of something quite cold and desolate, perhaps suggesting a tumultuous relationship, be that romantic or not. The hits of the synth sound like they came straight from a horror film. This adds something entirely sinister to the relationship described. It creates a push-and-pull effect for the listener, showcased amidst all this romantic uncertainty.
The title track’s positioning in the EP order feels entirely fitting; it was always meant to be the closing piece for this project. Opening up with soft piano keys, it gives the impression of a ballad, a reflective one. In all seriousness, it feels like coming to the end of a journey, and it's commendable that Felix was able to provide this story arc-like feeling to an EP of this length. In such a short amount of time, so much was offered in nuanced detail in regards to something so complex, like the human experience. “The light holds me,” accompanied by the lyrics “it’s dark enough to see,” beautifully anchors the production on this song. Letting us know that nothing is so broken, it can’t be fixed. The back-and-forth swing we feel is enabled by the hopeful guitar chords and crashing drum cymbals. It offers a sense of nostalgia, but also acceptance. It washes over you, enveloping you in a bittersweet embrace. Perfect for this final stage.
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