Advertisement

Album reviews Music

Zodiac – EP

Rating: NNNN


Zodiac’s current narrative is tied to an early career affiliation with the Weeknd, and the way that pupil-dilating, prurient strain of slow jam captivated R&B neophytes is serious context for why we should be watching the young Toronto producer closely.

In the few years since, Zodiac’s been signed to Jacques Greene’s new Vase imprint, tethering himself to Canada’s emerging electronic elite collaborated with other singers and – most recently – inked a songwriting contract with Adele producer Paul Epworth. These are power moves for a relative unknown.

That confidence is manifest on this debut five-song EP. Ambient “rewound” samples flecked with a din of found sounds give the hip-hop/R&B-leaning beats a rare Dilla-esque emotional intelligence. More than just a beat sampler, these are fully realized songs. So though it’s the EPs coursing heart, there’s barely a shift when Jesse Boykins III slips in to sing about his dream queen on Come.

Top track: GirlGirlGirl

Advertisement

Exclusive content and events straight to your inbox

Subscribe to our Newsletter

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

By signing up, I agree to receive emails from Now Toronto and to the Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.