CREDIT: INUKSHUK
Inukshuk's EP Future Past, introduces a new genre into the electronmic music scene in London called 'Lovestep'. The album is catchy and there are sounds incorporated into the songs that take you through the album as you would go through the day.

It seems that London’s music scene has taken note of the changing seasons. Albums are dropping nearly as fast as the autumn leaves and I must say, it’s a great time to be a Londoner. This week Interrobang got the chance to sit down and talk with Inukshuk, a homegrown electronic artist who released his first EP, Future Past, on Oct. 1.

With modest beginnings in empty student bars, Inukshuk said that the last three years have been a definitive influence for the album.

“I wanted to do something that reflected what I was trying to do when I first started as well as where I plan on going as an artist.”

The Future Past EP was born out of a long musical journey that started in the underground metal scene and brought him to the stage of London’s Tent Party at the Music Hall.

He said his favourite band is still Underoath, a Christian post-hardcore group, and that he got the idea to switch to electronic music from another metal band, From First To Last. The lead singer of this band used to be Sonny Moore, but he’s better known today as Skrillex.

“I figured if [Sonny] did it, then that’s something I could do; coming from that same background of music and moving into electronic stuff. I got a copy of Ableton and just kind of started from scratch.”

When asked to describe the album’s new direction, Inukshuk said he’s delving into a self-made genre dubbed “lovestep … it’s like dubstep but a lot happier, a lot of it’s in major keys.” This unique ‘lovestep’ style comes across beautifully in the album opener “Happy Accidents”.

For anyone who defines electronic music by a relentless “untz untz untz” from start to finish, this track is a breath of fresh air. Reflecting on the tune, he says, “That was the first time I wanted to write a song that didn’t follow a lot of typical dance-music song structure. If I were to have an opening song it would be that one.”

While a lot of artists rely on complex drum rhythms to give their song some heart, “Happy Accidents” breaks the mold. With almost no drumming in about a quarter of the song, Inukshuk relies solely on his melodies to retain the listener’s interest. Even when the drums are prevalent, the simple halftime rhythms aren’t here to steal the show, just to carry the catchy synth and vocal hooks.

Inukshuk’s recipe for success didn’t come without hard work. The start of his career had a remarkably steep learning curve.

“I spent the first couple years sitting in front of a computer six hours a day, watching tutorials and trying out different things … it took a long time to wind up on the right path.”

Clearly his lengthy education was worth it because some of the Future Past tunes are already approaching one million views on YouTube.

While Inukshuk’s music encompasses a lot of the club and party atmosphere, it also captures a vivid sense of nature and tranquility. Songs like “Future Past” and “At the End of the Day” are speckled with birdcalls and other animals that help paint strong mental images while listening.

It seems fitting for a guy who spends a lot of his time venturing into secluded areas with his laptop and headphones, searching for new muses. He said he likes to incorporate field recordings because, “It creates a soundscape. You’re not just listening to a song, I try and take you to a place.”

In the final track, “At The End Of The Day”, we hear snippets of dialogue speaking about life’s endless possibilities and the need to seize these opportunities. This is interspersed with crickets and mellow piano melodies that paint the scene of a setting sun in the forest. It proves to be a nice counterpoint to the album’s opener “Happy Accidents” which acts very much like a sunrise: happy, hopeful and bringing the day’s energy with it.

“At The End of The Day” is calm and reflective, paying homage to a darker time in the life of Inukshuk.

He views this song as a statement piece saying, “At the end of the day you’re left with whatever you’ve made for yourself and you can’t blame it on other people … the moment you wake up in a silver light, you’ve got to be happy with what you’ve made.” Talking with Inukshuk, I could see that Future Past has made him happy and that he’s ready to dive head first into the future of ‘lovestep’ with his next single “Fawx”. He tells fans to keep an eye out for this and more as we drift into winter. In the meantime you can stream Future Past on his official SoundCloud channel. Just search “iaminukshuk’.

Rating: 4 out of 5