Mura Masa’s debut shows he’s one to watch
The young musician makes his mark on the UK charts
Mura Masa’s self-titled debut album is a refreshing display of what our generation has to offer. The Guernsey-born DJ started making tunes from his bedroom and came onto the radar when he released his song ‘Lotus Eater’ on Soundcloud in 2014. Although he has only just turned 21 he has since collaborated with the likes of Stormzy, A$AP Rocky, Charli XCX, and the lead singer of the Gorillaz, Damon Albarn, just to name a few.
The album starts out with a sample taken from a tube stop announcement and then jumps to the first song ‘Messy Love.’ Throughout the album, you’re met with several different styles and genres, so it is difficult to categorise his music. Mura Masa does not shy away from using unconventional instruments like the steel drum, harp, or flute, which makes the music pretty cool. Instead of adhering to a single genre, Mura Masa uses a blend of genres to create a distinct electronic sound, setting him apart from the competition; he is one of the first artists from our generation, and he doesn’t adhere to old conventions. Fellow audiophiles will agree that we aren’t limited to our record collections anymore but can listen to anything we want, and I believe this is manifested in his style.
I also want to touch on the fact that Mura Masa has some sick album art. I respect a man with a good Instagram, and Mura Masa’s is peng.
‘1 Night’ describes Charli XCX’s one night stand with a boy, with whom she doesn’t want to have a relationship. Asking if their relationship could go back to where it was before they had sex, she sings “It was only one night / But I wanna go back to where we were”. In contrast to ‘What if I go?’, where Bonzai sings quite literally the opposite.
Mura Masa’s collaboration with famous rapper A$AP Rocky, ‘Love$ick’, is the most popular song on the album. A$AP’s accompanying rap creates a balanced match for 'Love$ick'’s Caribbean-influenced style, together with Mura Masa’s signature bass drops, which will have your hips shaking in no time.
Overall, the album is a tribute to what it means to be young these days. A glaring shout to pursue happiness through sex, friendship, and just not caring too much about things. This kid is making some serious waves and it will be worth keeping an eye on him over the next few years.
