Tag: BRANCHES

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Tsutro’s Latest Dream Pop-Inspired Single “Say Something”

Now, if you had been frequenting this site towards the end of last year, you may recall that I wrote about San Francisco, CA-based electronic music artist and producer, Jacob Monague and his latest solo recording project Tsutro. Tsutro is a bit of a sonic departure from Montague’s work as a member of BRANCHES and his previous solo work, which had placements on a number of popular TV shows including — America’s Got Talent, The X Factor, One Tree Hill and others, as well as the film trailers for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Afternoon Delight, and Love Is Strange as Montague’s latest project draws from a diverse array of influences such as pop, worldbeat, future garage and downtempo. And with a batch of his latest singles, the San Francisco-based producer and artist collaborates with a different vocalist, which gives each song a completely different feel and tone.

The third single of his initial batch of singles “Say Something” is a breezy and coquettish track featuring both Roxi Pianko and Montague’s vocals over a slick and dreamy production featuring twinkling keys and synths, strummed guitar and stuttering drum programming. Now while, the previous single I wrote about “Back to You” feat. Sunday Lane was reminiscent of the sensual yet bracingly chilly house of Octo Octa’s Between Two Selves, “Say Something” sounds inspired by Swedish dream pop — but with a swooning Romanticism.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Jacob Montague is a San Francisco, CA-based electronic music artist and producer, best known as a of member BRANCHES and as a solo artist, who has had his music appear in a number of popular TV shows including — America’s Got Talent, The X Factor, One Tree Hill and others, as well as the film trailers for The Secret Life of Walter Mitty, Afternoon Delight, and Love Is Strange. Adding to a growing profile, Montague has also been on bills with Mutemath, Joseph, Twin Forks, DEVO and others.

However, with his latest solo recording project Tsutro, Montague’s sound draws from a diverse array of influences including pop, worldbeat, future garage, ambient and downtempo. And with his debut as Tsutro, Montague’s sound reveals a new sonic approach in which the Bay Area-based producer and artist carefully chose a vocalist that would work with a particular aesthetic in mind, sampled a few phrases and then carefully built up a new arrangement around that sample; so while seeming like a remix and a rework of sorts, the material Montague has crafted manages to feel as though it’s a crafted original song in which a producer has collaborated with a vocalist. In fact, with his latest single as Tsutro “Back To You,” you hear shimmering aqueous-like synths paired with stuttering drum programming paired with Sunday Lane‘s plaintive and tender vocals reminiscing and mourning over an ex-lover in a radio-friendly, house-music-leaning electro pop song that reminds me quite a bit of Octo Octa‘s Between Two Selves as it evokes a lonely, late night ache and a falling into a bracingly cold bath.