Comprised of award winning composers and songwriters, Austin, TX-born, Brooklyn-based Tiger Darrow and South African-born, Brooklyn-based Andrew Orkin, Brooklyn-based electro-acoustic act Tiger + Man met back in 2012 and they initially collaborated on commercial and passion projects before settling on a a cohesive sound that the duo felt best represented their artistic vision.
Written, produced and engineered by the members of the Brooklyn-based duo’s self-titled EP was mixed by Grammy Award winner Scott Jacoby, best known for his work with Vampire Weekend, Jose James and John Legend and mastered by Grammy nominated Emily Lazar, best known for her work with David Bowie, The Foo Fighters and Bjork. Additionally five visual artists — Joe Voysey, Alexdra Karakashian, Jason Stallings,Deanna Smith and Liona Nyariri –hailing from Johannesburg, South Africa, Cape Town, South Africa, New York and Texas created artworks inspired by the the album, with the only consistent element being the Tiger + Man logo while delving into the EP’s contrasting emotions.
The EP’s latest single “Wondering” is a chillwave and R&B-leaning single about traversing the awkward intentions of infatuation that pairs Tiger Darrow’s achingly tender vocals with skittering drum programming, layers of shimmering and undulating synths, finger snap-led percussion and blasts of acoustic guitar, and sonically the song bears a resemblance to ACES‘ “What Do You Think They’ll Say About Me” and “I’m Already Gone” but with a coquettish, awkward earnestness and thoughtfulness at its core.
The recently released music video features (presumably) the members of Tiger and Man expressing dancing to the song, while show in a way that only reveals each member’s silhouette, and in some way the video expresses the vulnerability of the heart and body while also suggesting that love can often feel like grasping in the dark for anything familiar.
The EP opens with the mellow, chillwave-style single “Wondering,” a song that traverses the awkward intentions of infatuation. “I’ve Got Nothing,” follows with a fusion of soul and gritty electronica. The EP then slows down for their stripped down, synth-ballad, “Alright”, but T + M quickly snap the listener out of the soothing message with the second heavy track of the EP, “Lay Me Down.” Drawing on the 18th century bedtime prayer, “Now i Lay Me Down To Sleep”. Finally, the EP closes with T + M’s most raw and minimally-produced song, “Paper Cranes,” a song questioning the purity, futility and intention of faith.