Manuel Joseph Walker (aka Foliage) is a bit of a musical prodigy. Still only 21 years old, the California-based multi-instrumentalist has already been writing music for over 10 years, has released a string of albums, accumulated millions of streams, and is a regular presence on the live scene.
Friend-of-the-blog Foliage has been covered by us many times before over the years – see here.
His new single ‘Time Of Life’ has just been released.
Stuttering and skipping into life, it’s a very bright sound with an 808 beat and some vintage lo-fi synth sounds. Michael’s voice instantly shines above everything else – the simple arrangement lets the melody take over, and it feels happy and optimistic.
A short, slapback echo and some subtle yet effective backing vox create a nice sense of depth in the vocal, and the melody follows a winding path around the track.
Little throwback flourishes create a unique hybrid that is hard to categorise. Plenty of electro-pop, hints of soul and R&B, a dash of disco. I loved the ’80s-funk muted-guitar sound.
The chorus has a really satisfying, drifting high hook with some effortless expressiveness from Michael. There’s a pure falsetto tone that, together with those FX, feels a little Scritty-Politti-esque at certain moments (look it up!).
It’s about the time we spent together
It’s about the time we live
It feels good to spend time with this record, but it doesn’t overstay its welcome, and is over in just under 3 minutes.
I’m sure, like me, you’ll have the time of your life listening to ‘Time Of Life’!
Written by Grubby
