Rikki Tikki Tavi is the solo project of Netherlands-based musician Alex, whose debut Once Upon a Dream intertwines affecting guitar work and atmospheric synths across seven instrumentals rich in melodic detail and shifting textures. Recorded at home using a synthesizer and tablet, the release took shape while Alex was anticipating the arrival of his son, connecting its wistful soundscapes with a personal sense of hope and possibility.
Instrumental opener “First step” glistens with dreamy, absorbing atmospheric charm. Glimmering synths and slight percussive pit-pattering meld beautifully into ensuing track “under the ground,” where twinkling keys and a post-punk guitar tone enjoyably intertwine. The pulsating percussion, free-flowing guitar, and effervescent piano tones combine with replay-inducing impact. “Forest” continues the EP’s fantastic start, here continuing to embrace fantastic interplay of guitars and synths. Twangy, plucky guitars and spacey synths captivate in their colorful interplay, building well from introspective beginnings to a more rapid guitar movement past midpoint.
Another atmospheric delight, “Morning” begins with a chirpy, triumphant resonance, resembling the awakening morning sun with its vibrant pull. EP finale “Silence” struts a darker edge instead, its bursting synth tones moving into a delectably quivering unease in moments beyond the more shimmering approachability. A nostalgic entrancement unveils in the steady synth-guided warmth and slight yet artful tonal shifts. Once Upon a Dream is a memorable EP from Rikki Tikki Tavi, showing a clear capacity for stirring soundscapes.
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“Forest” and other tracks featured this month can be streamed on the updating Obscure Sound’s ‘Emerging Singles’ Spotify playlist.
We discovered this release via MusoSoup.
