Seven Lions strikes again.
American dubstep and trance DJ/Producer Jeff Montalvo upgrades his 2018 release portfolio with another double release on his label Ophelia Records.
Joining him in crafting the two tracks EP is fellow Anjunabeats trance wiz, Jason Ross. The musical chemistry between the two is evident: Ross has released two remixes of Jeff’s songs in the past; they joined forces to perform an out-of-the-world b2b set at the legendary ABGT250 last year; they released one of the most beautiful songs of last year in “Higher Love” (feat. Paul Meany).
Now they are here with the “Ocean / The Sirens” EP. This release is all about innovation: you might expect some epic progressive trance/dubstep hybrid from this two names… but you won’t find it here. Let’s dive into it!
Ocean (ft. Jonathan Mendelsohn)
88/100
You already know a song is important if it features the mythical name of Jonathan Mendelsohn. His other otherworldy voice sings some amazing lyrics with a creative rhyme scheme. He sings about having the courage to find someone new in his life, even after all the suffering he went through in past relationships.
Jason Ross works his magic in crafting the progressiveness of the instrumental, while Seven Lions gives his all adding some quirky vocal chops and giving the song the shape of a melodic bass jewel. Though the resemblance with some productions of another melodic bass master (cough, Illenium, cough cough) is glaring, to say the least, and that might be the slight downfall of this vocal anthem.
This song has been teased by Seven Lions for months in his explosive live shows, and finally, for the pleasure of fans and critics alike, “Ocean” saw the sun on the surface.
The Sirens
88\100
Seven Lions love for genres-blending takes over here, as this track is quite the task to define genre-wise.
Jeff’s psy-trance alias DJ Sven’s influences here mash up with Jason Ross and Seven Lions’ love for melodic and atmospherical build ups. The drops are quite different from each other and vary at different tempos, but the fresh psy-dubstep vibe is present in the entirety of the song.
Many compare “The Sirens” to its psy-trance/dubstep hybrid predecessor “The Paradox (Seven Lions & Dimibo Remix)”; but the evident amount of time they spent polishing the genres-blending here makes this song remarkable, though a little bit difficult to appreciate at first.
It’s safe to say that Seven Lions is building Ophelia Records catalogue by adding – little by little – outstanding releases like this. And for everybody who’s willing to experience these songs live, catch him in his first two shows of his Chronicles series in Seattle in May and at Red Rocks Amphitheatre near Denver.
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