Black Atlass has been patient. The Montreal-born crooner has watched as fellow XO labelmates have all dropped their projects in the last few years, securing their spot in Toronto's glorified hip-hop scene and giving OVO a run for the title of "city's most successful label."
Now it's his time to shine. Black Atlass returns with his sophomore album, Dream Awake, and hopes to ride the momentum his peers have laid down album by album.
Dream Awake tells the story of two people getting to know one another before transitioning their newfound feelings of affection from lust to love. The album features the same mystical falsettos and hazy atmospherics that make it perfect for a midnight listen. "Never Enough" is the ideal introduction for the 36-minute album, as it falls somewhere in between the softest and hardest songs on the tracklist. Back-to-back songs "Sin City" and "Lie to Me" are the album highlights, and would fit pleasantly on any cruising playlist.
Unsurprisingly, Black Atlass worked on the majority of the album with DannyBoyStyles on production. The frequent XO collaborator was responsible for some of the Weeknd's earliest work, such as Kiss Land and Beauty Behind the Madness, explaining the likeness in sound and direction taken on Dream Awake, which is even more Weeknd-esque than the previous works in Black Atlass's repertoire.
While the project doesn't quite take any risks, it is a cohesive piece of work from an artist best enjoyed in the late night hours, a solid effort by an upcoming musician who one day hopes to rise to the same tier of success as his predecessors.
(XO/Republic)Now it's his time to shine. Black Atlass returns with his sophomore album, Dream Awake, and hopes to ride the momentum his peers have laid down album by album.
Dream Awake tells the story of two people getting to know one another before transitioning their newfound feelings of affection from lust to love. The album features the same mystical falsettos and hazy atmospherics that make it perfect for a midnight listen. "Never Enough" is the ideal introduction for the 36-minute album, as it falls somewhere in between the softest and hardest songs on the tracklist. Back-to-back songs "Sin City" and "Lie to Me" are the album highlights, and would fit pleasantly on any cruising playlist.
Unsurprisingly, Black Atlass worked on the majority of the album with DannyBoyStyles on production. The frequent XO collaborator was responsible for some of the Weeknd's earliest work, such as Kiss Land and Beauty Behind the Madness, explaining the likeness in sound and direction taken on Dream Awake, which is even more Weeknd-esque than the previous works in Black Atlass's repertoire.
While the project doesn't quite take any risks, it is a cohesive piece of work from an artist best enjoyed in the late night hours, a solid effort by an upcoming musician who one day hopes to rise to the same tier of success as his predecessors.