RY X has a truly stunning voice, and the judicious production on Unfurl means that every aspect – strings, percussion, organs, synths – is given space to breathe. Space to sound as beautiful as it should. He’s not experimental, but you still feel the heart behind what he does.
Some songs, like the driving ‘Foreign Tides’ or the almost-dancefloor-ready ‘The Water’ threaten to become big, grandiose epics. But the restraint kicks back in eventually and, before you know it, everything has settled back down.
The power of quietly intense, passionate music to pull audiences in to an intimate space is something this Australia-born, LA-based singer excels at. After the break-out success of his minimalist EP “Berlin”, Ry notched up a string of sold-out shows across Europe, the US and Australia including both the Union Chapel and Shepherds Bush Empire in 2016 alone. Ry honours and expands on his vision with his second album. Between its rippling beats, mellifluous guitars, poised piano and questing vocals, Unfurl does what its title suggests: develops as if organically from Ry’s previous work, blossoming in delicate new directions while holding firm to its roots. “I think my mission statement was simply to remain vulnerable and to capture that within this album,” says Ry. “The inspirations change each time, and I always want to allow that process to be free, to draw on new ideas and sounds and instrumentation. But what feels consistently important to me is keeping a sense of rawness and honesty in the work.”
This is a hypnotic, meditative album that you should surrender yourself to.
The Fat Angel Sings 