Siblings Jerald and Tita Halaman are the types to mesh together creative ideas like a blender. Their project No Lore produces a multidisciplinary venture where it requires a sensory experience to their worldbuilding. Tita Halaman and their paintings are always secondary to the accompanying soundscapes. But for No Lore’s case, it’s the other way around. Tita’s dream-pop “harhar” singing style synergizes with Jerald’s indietronica-inspired key presets a la Postal Service.
But one can’t help but notice the lack of push with regards to their sound. Take their latest single titled “Paumanhin” for instance. Off The Record‘s latest track is deprived of any emotive strengths amidst a maelstrom of instrumentals that distract the potential harmonies that are supposed to become the highlight of the track.
But instead, “Paumanhin” is covered with so many sonic interruptions: heavy kicks above rattling drum machines, arena-sized claps wrapping over synth lines, etc. Additionally, Tita and Jared’s vocals happen to become an underwhelming and vapid performance through and through.
Overall, the duo’s brought themselves a sonic palette cleanser, whereas, on an opposite day, the palette’s just reduced into something more cluttered and less of an opus that would less likely become an artistic masterpiece that would hang on an exhibit’s walls.
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