Montreal-based Mitch Oliver is a bastion of the burgeoning east coast melodic house movement, and for a good reason! On his latest release, “Nothing Was Left,” he’s released two exceptionally crafted pieces of melancholia. Listening across both, it’s obvious how talented he is at layering sensuous layers of sounds, creating beautiful moments of tension and release by percolating them up and down fluidly and naturally.
The first song on the release, “Nothing Was Left,” is the misty-eyed of the two, and it works. This beautiful synthy harmonic line throughout the song creates an overwhelming sense of consistency and stability; necessary when the emotional topic of the song is so dreamy.
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I was particularly impressed with the specificity of the elements of the song. The delayed, rhythmic synth is punchy enough not to collide with the other synth elements. The kick is clean, giving the more nuanced and melodic elements of the bass line enough room to shine on their right. Even the vocals, strained through a high pass filter and a nice, dub-y echo, acts more as a percussive element than the core focus of the song. Something more akin to a cymbal roll. Super cool!
The second song on the release, “Can’t Help Myself,” shines much differently than the first. The real star of the show here is the tremendous vocal work by Andrea de Tour. Simultaneously expressive and subdued, she picks the perfect moments to engage her dynamic range. This is particularly noteworthy towards the crescendo and breakdown of the track two-thirds of the way through.
Her vocals beg emotional questions that, left unresolved, fill moments of near silence with a tension that would quickly fill any big dark room a DJ might find themselves in. This is an equal testament to Mitch’s acuity at setting the soundscape for Andrea’s work to shine. Well balanced, moody, but optimistic.
Love it!
This stellar release by Mitch, dropping on Sirin Music, comes out on January 13th. Listen to them below!
