This will sound glaze-y, and it is, but this Ilusion of Touch is like nothing I have ever heard submitted to Start Track before. This opinion is not only because it is a genre I did not expect to be submitted before, but because this was one of the best openings I have encountered on the first listen. Anyone who knows anything about me – you are asking yourself if you have to know me – knows that I judge titles like I do book covers, so the title “Dirt Nap” had me skeptical at first, till I pressed play.
“Dirt Nap” hit me with a jazz sound. I went into this expecting shoegaze or rock, but this was jazz. A groovy sound that filled me with an unknown nostalgia, my own or borrowed, I am not certain. Yet, it became an instant favourite in my books. ‘Listen to your father, he is telling you to worry’ is a standout lyric to me. More than the technical elements, I love this song based on its vibes alone. It has the ability to transport you.
Tracks like “Longing for Scissors” emphasis the album’s willingness to challenge structure, with jazz-leaning tones colliding into more alternative shapes but never losing the cohesiveness of the sound. It plays with dissonance in a way that feels real and rewarding. “Vans of Desire” shifts gears with a surprisingly calm and slower energy, while “A Song For The Cows” stirs curiosity before resolving into a soft, ambient sway, which is for the purpose of keeping the cows calm (?)
Rooted in ideas of connection, the album moves through themes of longing, distance, and the paradox of closeness. Later songs like “Pleasure Picture” dive into funkier rock-inspired textures, while “The Location Problem” shows off Chadwick’s guitar work and a beautiful layering of instrumentation that pulled me deeper into the record’s emotional fabric. The final track, “Beam Splitter,” closes the album without vocals, using electronic and bossa nova elements to close out the record. Altogether, Illusion of Touch is a beautifully produced album—sonically engaging and musically fulfilling, grounded in both feeling and form.
Written by Nthatile Mavuso
