Kiiara - low kii savage

Kiiara
low kii savage EP
2016
Spotify

Looping might have been one of the best things to be invented for the solo singer songwriter. It gives them so much versatility yet most people who go hard on the loop usually end up sounding the same. Kiiara bucks that trend by using the looper but also blending in some really smooth electronic jams. "Feels" seems inspired by 90s R&B yet has this very modern and cutting sentiment to it. "Gold" the single from the record might sound familiar as it has charted quite high throughout the world. Kiiara however doesn't just make a few "Gold" reproductions on this EP, though the minimalistic electronic is the backbone of the record, and instead crafts songs that feel incredibly fresh. "Tennessee" however is a point where some of this breaks down. The song sounds great and the vocals sound clean, but the subject matter is basically an EDM re-hash of a celebration. That sharp tongue and cutting production just are not the same on that track. "Intention" is similar in that it hugs closer to an EDM sensibility, but it also has a really great Future Bass sound that keeps it from seeming to basic.

What we have to stress is just how effortless Kiiara is. "Gold" is clearly the best example as the music just seems to pour out perfectly without even seeming to try. Track after track is similar in that it is so easy to listen. "Say anymore" has really odd production and Kiiara's delivery is also heavily autotuned yet it still has this very organic sense to it. The last track "Hang up the phone" also uses very contemporary language, as does the whole record, so for some it might sound somewhat odd, but for those in the know this is right where music is headed. The remix of "Gold" with Lil Wayne is another great addition to the song and gives it more of that kind of nasty swagger. You have to look at low kii savage as the start of something rather than the culmination, it is Kiiara showing us briefly who she is and what she can do, but still leaving a lot of room from growth.

6.9 out of 10