HALFTONE EP by SAINE

As long term fans of Helsinki-based Saine, here's ODD005. After impressing us with his moody slow-mo synth jam, “Ratio”, on our first Trips & Trinkets compilation, he returns with 3 stunning original tracks, along with a remix from Glenn Astro & IMYRMIND. “Halftone EP” begins with “Traces”, a sensitive piano-laced adventure infused with euphonic vocals and those trademark Saine chords that feel almost tangible. “Countach” steps things up a notch with a thumping low end groove driving burned out synth stabs and Rhodes, whose exchanges throughout feel like an intimate conversation. A chunky energy twinned with all the picturesque loveliness we’ve come to expect from the Finn. On a record packed with A-sides, “Matte” kicks off the reverse with big, lush pads that flutter like old VHS audio, a lead line that kicks like heartache, and a bouncing groove that ties it all together daintily. Glenn Astro & IMYRMIND wrap things up with their incredible slow jam re-imagining of “Traces”, perfectly complimenting the original themes with a bumping yet tender twinkling remix.