Multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Teo Saefkow, AKA Scalawag, doesn’t let genre pin him down on his new EP ‘Runaway’. Full to the brim of mellow vocals, polyphonic melody and carefully arranged acoustic sounds, ‘Runaway’ is less an EP and more an indie/chillwave, the story-telling symphony of five movements.
Not dissimilar to the euphoric and jazz-folk sounds of Beirut, the opening track ‘Run Away’ fuses brass fanfare, steel drums, and R&B rhythms that are a suitably grand opening to this masterwork. Scalawag’s sound is even more impressive when you consider that all the instruments are played by Teo himself. Elaborating on the instrumentation, Teo says: “It’s important to me that I create as many of the sounds myself as possible, instead of using stock instruments or samples. It gives every sound more weight and sanctity, to know that it took blood, sweat, and tears to get a good performance out of myself for every instrument, and to make sure everything is sounding up to par and comparable to a studio recording with session musicians and engineers.”
Even on the more laidback ‘You On My Mind’ or the rockabilly-infused ‘Touch’, Scalawag is no stranger to unorthodox combinations of instruments, all produced to perfection to let his vocals, thoughtful lyrics, and soaring melodies shine through.
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