4/5 stars
It’s been a busy six years between records for Hudson Mohawke. He’s kept himself occupied producing tracks for the likes of Kanye West and casually pioneering genres with Canadian cohort Lunice as trap innovators TNGHT, and now, we’ve finally arrived at Lanterns.
Here, we’re treated to a much more mature approach to HudMo’s skittish style that traverses hip hop, pop and R&B with plenty of noisy, cartoonish references thrown in. Much of the hyperactivity that permeated debut record Butter has been eased and there are some eye-popping gems scattered across the record.
‘Ryderz’, which samples D.J. Rogers’ 1973 track ‘Watch Out For The Riders’, is a Motown and soul-inspired offering with a solid, pushy bassline rattling underneath that’s almost too clever for its own good.
Elsewhere, ‘Indian Steps’ (feat. Antony) is heart-wrenching to say the least, and works sublimely as a Hudson Mohawke-flavoured ballad. Similarly, ‘Deepspace’ (feat. Miguel) sees him show off some well-honed pop/R&B chops.
With what would otherwise be a noisy, boisterous mash of incoherent nonsense from anyone else, Lanterns just keeps proving Hudson Mohawke’s status as one of a kind.
