Hunki Dori – Reverie

Hunki Dori (the artist, not to be confused with the David Bowie album) is an exceptional new age, experimental producer from Fairfax, Virginia. Their stunning debut, Reverie, was released on October 22nd, 2021.

Reverie opens with a lush, aquatic soundscape on Summer in October, progressed by light acoustic instrumentation and luscious synths. The saxophone steals the show on Seoul, as does the flute on Peru. August Funk marks the point in the album where it starts to expand upon its compositions further; its quirky soundscape is heightened by its gorgeous strings and whimsical xylophones. Ancestors Speaking is a little more aimless than the surround tracks, though works impressively as well. It does an excellent job at stripping back the summer aesthetics and layering in smooth melodies. The final track, while a little cheesy at times with its percussion, is a gorgeous, moodier contrast to the lighter preceeding tracks.

What’s most impressive about Reverie are the compositions. Each one is progressive and brimming with life. The entire album sounds like it constantly submerges deeper with into more experimental territories with each track, making returning visits exciting. Despite being relatively straight-forward in scope, Reverie is overflowing with personality. The album sounds alive, sincere and well-constructed. Ingrown Records are quickly becoming a fruitful label; each release I’ve heard thus far is high quality. What the album lacks in innovation, it makes up for in imagination. Highly, highly recommended.

Really Good

Listen to it here:

https://ingrown.bandcamp.com/album/reverie

Hunki Dori – Reverie