Hearing the lyrics “don’t try to chase me, he’ll do so much better” usually would not make someone feel relaxed and light on their feet. Yet this new and talented artist from Montana proves otherwise. Unusual Demont, whose real name is Demontcea Howard, has just released his EP titled “Hues” which is just as colorful and pleasing to the ears as it sounds.
Unusual Demont has been interacting with music since a child. His grandfather played the drums and toured for the late legend Curtis Mayfield. In an interview with The Capital Times newspaper, Demontcea had this to say about his first steps into the field of music.
“I would go to some of his sets and I remember just being so enthralled by it,” he said. “He was the first person who taught me any music. He taught me how to play basic drum beats and whatnot when I was 8.”
The ball started rolling for Demont when he released his single “Amber” which caught fire. This is still his most popular song to date with 12 million streams on Spotify. Like many songs off this EP, he takes inspiration from a plethora of artists, in this case Tame Impala. When talking to Wonderland magazine he said, “The hook was literally meant for Kevin Parker.” This can be seen in the high pitch voice used in the hook just like Parker himself. This gave a sense of nostalgia and tenderness. The entire story of the song is very much similar to “The Less I Know the Better” by Tame Impala dealing with unrequited love and jealousy.
The subject of failed relationships touches upon many of the songs in the EP yet has a much more pop or commercialized feel to it. None of the songs sound like the singer is going through heartbreak when listening to the tone or production, but when you listen to the lyrics you see otherwise. “Hues” made me draw comparisons to songs like “Hey Ya” by Outkast or “All of the Lights” by Kanye West. They all touch on dark or bleak topics yet are able to convince the listener they are having a good time.
Another instance of this light hearted feel is in his song “GOLD.” When one hears afro beats they are usually inclined to get on the floor and dance. In the Wonderland article he said “I was opposed to doing a track like that for so long because it felt the same as when Drake did “One Dance.” Yet he kept the track and it turned to take on it’s own feeling. The production and layering of this song sounds like a soothing dance song about a couple. Yet like the rest of the tracks it has the bittersweet lyrics to pair with the mixing.
Having his own sound is an important part to Demont when making music. In a sit down with Heath from the Daily Chiefers about influence Demont had this to say.
“Sonically, I don’t listen too much when I make music because I don’t want to end up doing something similar to somebody else. But I will say Tyler, [the Creator] has considerably influenced me, not even sonically, but Igor got a Grammy. It put a lot into perspective for me. It made me realize — so you can just do what you think is cool, and people will eventually rock with it,” Demont said.
“Hues” is a great listen and good choice if you need music to relax to. My favorite tracks out of the eight are “Amber,” “Purple,” and “Pine.” In all I enjoyed the mixing of sounds from afro beats, commercialized pop and R&B. He is just getting started so of course there are areas he could improve on but the foundation is already there. I can’t wait to see how he develops this sound moving forward.
I give this EP a 7.5 out of 10.
