MorMor - Heaven's Only Wishful EP

MorMor
Heaven's Only Wishful EP
2018
Spotify

Toronto singer songwriter MorMor (Seth Nyquist) is making quite the statement with his debut EP. The record is rich and warm while still having some electronic elements that swell into beautiful arrangements. The thing that really sets this record apart though is MorMor's vocal. It is at the heart of every song, propelling it forward. His voice doesn't need to be complex or even loud to have a major impact. In his gentle whisper there is a ton of strength and power. He finds these really deep moments like on the bridge of "Lost" where the electronics take over and you are pulled down into this dark realm for a moment, only to allow a little bit of silence to break you out of it. There is a subdued theatrics to what MorMor is doing, this sense that He is inhabiting these really diverse characters through his music, but He still manages to keep a sense of himself through it all. "Whatever Comes to Mind" has this neo-soul vibe to it coming from the old school guitar that just occasionally blows in on downbeats. HIs vocals at times hit the highs of Shamir, but sound a great deal cleaner almost a combination of the "Rachet" artist and Frank Ocean. You can imagine MOrMor reaching a Frank Ocean level of gravitas if He continues to make re2cords that are this diverse and modern.

The one thing you'll notice on this EP though is a decided lack of pace. MorMor is perfectly content for you to float along unconcerned with turning the BPMs up a notch. You miss it throughout the record. The songs become grand, but not all that exciting. The environment He creates is enticing and brings you into this really unique space, but you always end up feeling like you are missing that extra push. It beingan EP and his debut at that, you are willing to forgive some of the missteps here. The bones of the record are so great you feel that if MorMor just had a little extra production help it would bring him straight up into the stratosphere. Heaven's Only Wishful is still a really tremendous album with a ton of potential, it will be interesting to see where MorMor takes it.

7.9 out of 10