Odunsi (The Engine).
Photo by lsddave.
The FADER’s “Songs You Need” are the tracks we can’t stop playing. Check back every day for new music and follow along on our Spotify playlist.
Put a little bit of trust in Odunsi (The Engine), and he’s bound to lead you somewhere interesting. His last project, the effortlessly sexy EVERYTHING YOU HEARD IS TRUE, arrived in May 2020. Looking back at that time, it feels like the Nigerian multi-hyphenate has returned to a whole new world with an ever-growing appetite for international sounds. Odunsi’s new four-track EP DENIM is billed as a “preparatory cleanse” for his upcoming era. It’s a kinetic seven-minute exercise that shoots out in a dozen directions. Odunsi’s best at creating dreamlike worlds. Whether I’m in awe of the dramatic, orchestral interludes that function more like song intros or being pulled into the dimly lit rave of “N2P,” they all feel like fleeting fantasies.
On “WTF! (Euphoria),” you’re invited to join Odunsi and lose yourself in the digital hailstorm. The “what the fuck!” chant that opens the song isn’t so much surprised as it is bewildered. Whatever he’s shocked about, it’s not enough to raise his voice above a light whisper. Odunsi’s so consumed by excitement that he can’t worry about people showing fake love, he’d rather shout them out for being motivation. He’s ready to flex on anybody. Just before the two-minute mark, the twinkling synths and growling bass start to gesture toward new heights, but the song fizzles out instead. Odunsi’s highs never last long, but it’s more fun trying to make these moments last.
