Multi-instrumentalist and producer Oskar Thomas effortlessly blends genres and styles on his intriguing debut, Garden.
Sounding unique but still natural can be a difficult manoeuvre in the songwriting world. But, for Oskar Thomas, there’s no other way forward.
The musician lists Travis Scott and Frank Ocean as key influences, yet also pulls from Pink Floyd and Nick Drake. He also has extensive experience performing in a psych-rock band.
The end result is a culmination of musical ideas, which Thomas arranges to create an intensely engaging listening experience. This fruition is clear in the debut single, Garden.
The single kicks off with a mystic acoustic line. It’s played on a guitar without a D string, already signalling Thomas’s tendency to get experimental. Next up are some distorted vocals trailing above the soundscape, creating tension and anticipation for the melody.
Then, the reverbed melody cuts through: “Sometimes you have to leave space for new things”, the artist sings.
Drum samples and 808s join him, plunging the soundscape into a bold mix of R&B, trap, and acoustic. Thomas’s vocals are well served to the R&B genre, with its booming presence and velvety undertones.
With all this distinctive groundwork laid, the artist serves up a remarkably on-trend flavour while still being true to himself and his varying influences.
Thomas recognises this on the single, with the ‘garden’ serving as a metaphor for his creative process. The more attention that is given to the project, the more it blooms. “this is the freedom to grow exponentially”.
Listen to Garden below:
