Hilang Child, aka Ed Riman,has said that he wanted his second album to sound gutsier than his debut - Years (2018). More specifically he sought "to roughly follow the mental flow of feeling worthless" while using the music as a cathartic primer.
If that all seems like a tall order then you won't be surprised to learn that 'Every Mover' still sounds more like sensitive emo indie than hard-edged rock.
The Brighton-based Eurasian singer's vision was to make a record that is “heavier and closer to the kind of stuff that hits me when I go to shows or blast music in the car. To this end he deploys big hypnotic drums, aggressive bass, banked synths, spacey guitars, looping samples and plenty of ecstatic chorales.
Despite his best efforts its ethereal glow is still akin to bands like Fleet Foxes or Grizzly Bear. There's absolutely nothing wrong with this of course and this is a perfectly fine album although not one many will use as a source of high energy driving music.
Riman's delicate voice and the refined arrangements put a glossy veneer on any rawer emotional content that lies behind the songs.
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Take for example monk-ish chorus Seen The Boreal in which the singer asks the leading question "are you crippled by hindsight?" Take also non specific epicness of Anthropic (Cold Times) wherein he advises the imaginary listener to "kill your pride".
Play 'Till Evening is more outward looking and affirmative and Magical Fingertip is as gentle as the title suggests. The record all floats away blissfully into the sunset with Steppe.
All in all, it's a nice album albeit one with music more suited to an intimate evening indoors than as a rousing stadium filler.
Hilang Child's website
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