Party Gator is in the house and, by the looks of it, ready to fire through a track that features a littering of recognisable names. James Acaster’s percussion, Quelle Chris’ production and a whole host of other notable names from the 40-strong Temps. That may be excessive, but excess is good and such a quality marks no,no as a surprising bit of music. Noisy, unhinged and a bit strange throughout, there are charming marks throughout this genre blend of a track. Experimental it may be, there are still sketch marks and moments that need to be fulfilled or fleshed out before Temps as a powerful group of musicians can be considered game changers.
Presence is no,no’s strongest articulation. Surreal moments of sincerely gifted layering mark Temps’ production assets as a vital tool to their success. Collecting vocals from Xenia Rubinos, Nnamdi Ogbonnaya and Shamir, there is a stretch of great talents that give a wavy flow to the track, always changing its form and tone with a considered and consistent brace of synth and drums. Such a genre blur gives way to a soundscape that Temps utilise well but can go even further with in future. Foundations are locked in place, their temporal limitations are their own, and as they rise to the crashing sincerity of their lyrical allusions, their technical merits are right behind them. Fans of Acaster’s work elsewhere may be somewhat surprised by the percussion quality he provides, and just how far away this genre feels from his stand-up work.
Considering how layered and driven this track is, no,no is dependent on Acaster’s percussion. It does not dominate but rather holds the piece together. Those rises and falls, the change of pace and the consistency of it all depend and revolve around a drummer keeping rhythm. Much of that can be heard in the synthesizer reliance too, which makes its presence known with exceptional defiance. There are parts where the instrumentals take themselves higher than the lyrical delivery, but that feels more because it is needing to deliver that surreal feel those vocals round out. Strange longevity is heard throughout the track, a well-timed single that features more than a fair share of familiar faces in the credits. Beyond Acaster and the vocalists throughout, Joana Gomila and Laia Vallés make for a resounding synthesizer pair.
Pulling double duty, Vallés also crashes through with the consistent vocal arrangement. no,no is as acceptable a start for any group as it is for Temps. They experiment and play around with what they find interesting for their sound and it is a rewarding display. Nothing quite monumental or shifting the pace of the genre, but that never feels quite like the intent. Vocals are thrown to the insanity of the mixing room, a pairing of vocal and instrumental that feels independent yet completely in sync. It is a fascinating blend that steers Temps closer to that of a freewheeling sample of what is to come. Jazz rap sentimentalities mixed in with abstract experimentalism that keeps it fresh and unknowing, the hip-hop genre won’t know what hit it, even if it is a bit uneven in spots.
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