Tag: Houis Outgrown

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Houis Teams Up with Couch Prints on a Dreamy And Bittersweet Breakup Song


Houis (pronounced “weece”) is French-American, New York-based multi-instrumentalist, producer and visual artist, who has developed an R&B lo-fi sound with elements of indie electro pop and indie house, influenced by Bonobo and Tom Misch. 

The New York-based multi-instrumentalist, producer and visual artist’s debut album Outgrown is slated for release this year through Berlin-based label Lekker Collective. The album reportedly depicts the full range of Houis’ influences, including UK garage inspired lo-fi instrumentals, 80s inspired indie pop, R&B and neo soul while featuring guest spots from Emmett Kai, Blush’ko and and others. 

So far I’ve written about two of the album’s previously released singles:

  • “Longtemps,” a woozy, neo-soul-like instrumental built around boom bap beats, glistening keys, reverb-drenched guitars and a funky hook. The song manages to subtly nod at  J. Dilla instrumental beat tapes while evoking a desperately needed feeling of serenity in a mad, mad, mad world.

  • “Can’t Explain,” a warm, intimate and dreamlike song with a trance of bittersweet melancholy built around built around glistening Rhodes and skittering boom bap paired with Foriegnlocal.’s coquettish delivery and Ushuaia‘s blasts of fluttering guitar.

Outgrown‘s latest single “Say Enough,” a slow-burning and vibey bit of lo-fi electro pop featuring fluttering and twinkling synths, skittering 3/4 beats. New York-based pop duo Couch Prints contribute achingly tender vocals expressing the sense of regret, heartache, unease and uncertainty that comes with the end of a relationship.

“The instrumentation was  definitely the most experimental song on the album. It has a pop-like arrangement, while using a 3/4 beat (inspired by some Bonobo songs I’ve been listening to lately),” Houis explains. “The FX, fluttering synths, and vocal chops were also inspired by Mount Kimble’s live rendition of “Before I Move Off” on KEXP (one of my favorite songs for the past decade).’Say Enough’ walks the line between electronic and chillhop.”

“At its core, ‘Say Enough’ is a song about feeling empty,” the members of Couch Prints explain. “For us, some of the worst moments in life have not been about sadness, but about pure apathy”

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

New Audio: Houis Teams up with Foreignlocal. and Ushuaia On Vibey and Intimate “Can’t Explain”

Houis (pronounced “weece”) is French-American, New York-based multi-instrumentalist, producer and visual artist, who has developed an R&B lo-fi sound with elements of indie electro pop and indie house, influenced by Bonobo and Tom Misch. 

The New York-based multi-instrumentalist, producer and visual artist’s debut album Outgrown is slated for release early this year though Berlin-based label Lekker Collective. The album reportedly depicts the full range of Houis’ influences, including UK garage inspired lo-fi instrumentals, 80s inspired indie pop, R&B and neo soul while featuring guest spots from Emmett Kai, Blush’ko and and others. 

Late last year, I wrote about album single “Longtemps,” a woozy, neo-soul-like instrumental built around boom bap beats, glistening keys, reverb-drenched guitars and a funky hook. The song manages to subtly nod at  J. Dilla instrumental beat tapes while evoking a desperately needed feeling of serenity in a mad, mad, mad world.

“With ‘Longtemps’, I was definitely gravitating towards a more mellow/cozy vibe than some of the other tracks on my upcoming album,” Houis explains. “The intention was to write something with a romantic essence: like being in the arms of the person you love and feeling a sense of serenity.”

“Can’t Explain,” Houis’ latest single continues a remarkable run of vibey, neo-soul-inspired bops centered around glistening Rhodes, skittering boom bap paired with Foriegnlocal.’s coquettish delivery and Ushuaia‘s blasts of fluttering guitar. “Can’t Explain” manages to feel warm, intimate, and dreamlike yet subtly melancholy.

The track is described by Foriegnlocal. as feeling like the sun peeking out from behind the clouds on a winter day: “the lyrics reflect on feeling so lucky to have that ray of sunshine in your life, feeling their warmth, making you feel loved and comforted whenever they’re around.”

“I knew Foriegnlocal’s organic and soulful style of singing would be a perfect fit, and Ushuaia’s guitar had a beautiful neo-soul influence which added just the right colour to the entire track,” Houis adds.

Single Review by William Ruben Helms

Houis (pronounced “weece”) is French-American, New York-based multi-instrumentalist, producer and visual artist, who has developed an R&B lo-fi sound with elements of indie electro pop and indie house, influenced by Bonobo and Tom Misch.

The New York-based multi-instrumentalist, producer and visual artist’s debut album Outgrown is slated for release early next year through Berlin-based label Lekker Collective. The album reportedly depicts the full range of Houis’ influences, including UK garage inspired lo-fi instrumentals, 80s inspired indie pop, R&B and neo soul while featuring guest spots from Emmett Kai, Blush’ko and and others.

Outgrown‘s second and latest single “Longtemps” is woozy, neo-soul-like instrumental centered around boom bap beats, glistening keys, reverb-drenched guitars and funky hook. “Longtemps” manages to subtly nod at J. Dilla instrumental beats while evoking a much-needed feeling of serenity in a mad, mad, mad world.

“With ‘Longtemps’, I was definitely gravitating towards a more mellow/cozy vibe than some of the other tracks on my upcoming album,” Houis explains. “The intention was to write something with a romantic essence: like being in the arms of the person you love and feeling a sense of serenity.”