Quadron

As half of underrated duo Owusu and Hannibal, Robin Hannibal turned heads four years ago with his reserved, yet futuristic, soulful production. Quadron are an even longer-running working unit for Hannibal, and their debut album adds another chapter to the chronicles of Danish soul music. The first few tracks are deceptively poppy, like '60s Motown, which serves notice regarding the retro feeling behind this project. The instrumentation is thoroughly modern though ― even when tremolo-ed guitar and finger snaps conjure up older reference points, there is still inherent digital frost. Exactly halfway through, the rhythms become more focused and everything snaps into place. Coco's voice works better with a rolling groove at the centre to anchor her nuances and those of the sometimes too crystalline sounds. A particular highlight is sequence within "Far Cry," which nods to '70s Brazilian pop, then the dub-referencing "Tone" and the deep acid jazz of "Simili Life." Quadron takes a few spins to really untangle, but it's well worth it.